Birthday Present
by Melgirl12
Summary: In fifth year Fred gives Hermione a little birthday gift. Sixth year he invites her for another and she happily accepts. When it turns into something more, how will they hold up in the middle of a war. Sex with a lot of plot, very slight Ron bashing in the first few chapters.
1. Prologue

Birthday Present: Prologue

AN: Hey, I'm happy to have gotten reviews that say people are exited for this story, especially because I originally posted off my phone and it apparently did not work!

I'm just putting up the prologue now, but should have up chapter one soon. It's done I just like to have time to edit and double check before I put up.

To the person that commented I tagged Ron in my story and also said I'd be bashing him. Thank you for letting me know. When I was posting it I was just trying to think of people that would be important in the story, but I know how annoying it is to be looking for your ship (Romione) and find something that's opposite what you wanted. I will be changing his tag to George right now.

"Are you going?" Ginny hissed over her shoulder, reading just a few lines of the letter.

"I don't know"

"You did it last year,"

"Last year was weird," she whispered back, even though they were well tucked away in her dormitory. "And I would have to sneak out of Hogwarts this time."

"You could do it, I can even get you Harry's cloak if you're that worried. I'm sure he won't miss it for one night."

"Do you want me to go?" Hermione asked incredulously "For merlin's sake, I don't even know what he's thinking! I don't know what I was thinking last year!" she wailed.

"Well _I_ know that the both of you were very happy the next day"

_0_

 _(Last year)_

Between her classes throughout morning and DA all afternoon, her birthday had been packed and tiring. She hadn't even bothered to leave the room of requirement when dinner began. Opting instead to sit with an old favorite book of hers and eat the finger sandwiches the room provided for her. At this point she had no earthly idea what time it was, but she was halfway through _Hogwarts a History_ once again and from the drooping of her eyes, suspected it was late.

She let the book drop into her lap and sighed. Perhaps she would just sleep here on the training pillows. Harry had left her the cloak to get back past Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad, but maybe she would use it in the morning to help her get through the students on their way to breakfast.

Her breath caught and hazel eyes popped open, as she heard the creaking of the room's door. She gripped her wand briefly as she watched one half of the Weasley twins enter the room.

"Merlin, Fred. You scared me."

"Good guess" She quirked a brow. "You got my name right" He clarified.

"I've always been able to tell you two apart" she defended.

He laughed "I find that hard to believe, sometimes mum can't even pick us apart."

"What're you even doing down here?" She asked standing up from the pillows.

"Just came down to check on you, keep you company some. It is you're birthday, and I didn't get you anything."

The witch stared up at him incredulously, with a tint spreading in her cheeks. "I didn't even expect you to remember, let alone get me a gift. Your brother didn't"

"He's a lazy bugger, that one." She snorted "But I'll be honest, I overheard Ginny saying happy birthday to you this morning, otherwise I would have had no idea."

"That's fine, thank you for coming down to get me, but I was thinking I would just stay overnight."

"Can I sit with you for a bit then?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'm just reading, but I don't see why not if you want to."

Fred took out his wand and lazily waved it over the pillows. A plush red couch appeared, much like the one in the gryffindore common room- only cleaner.

He gestured for her to join him as he sank into the cushons "The room must have helped me with that, because this is a much nicer couch than I put the effort into conjuring."

She sat next to him and hummed a sigh of agreement. It wasn't just cleaner, but also much more comfortable than the common room's. Then again, maybe it had to do with the fact that she had been lying on the floor with only pillows for hours.

"What've you had your nose pressed into"

She held up her book and he laughed.

"I actually read that once you know."

"Why?"

"Third year, I always saw you lugging it around and over summer I found a copy on my dad's shelf." The redhead said scratching his chin, where light stubble dotted his skin. "I just got it into my head that a girl that intelligent who was hanging out with bloody Harry Potter was hiding something or she had some hidden crazy inner self"

"Suppose I've proven that wrong over the years"

"Opposite actually" He looked over at her, "I've never met a girl with anything close to the death wish you have."

"What do you mean. All I ever hear people say is what a bookworm I am"

"Yeah and you are, but you always doing something too. You, Harry, and Ron are always up to something exiting, dealing with you know who" he shrugged "People just don't notice how crazy you are because you three are so good at hiding it"

"But you noticed?"

"Guess I payed attention"

Her blush had certainly spread by now. It looked like the room's lighting had dimmed ever so slowly to accommodate and she hoped he wouldn't see.

"Well thank you I suppose. Not many people see what I do past the books" she turned and looked forward for a moment before adding "And thanks for staying with me. This is a good end to my birthday"

Her head swiveled to gage his expression, but before she could tell what was happening he had his lips on hers and a hand cradling her cheek. It took her no time to push back against him. Her hands grabbed at his shoulders as he leaned forward. The two toppled back onto the couch and the Weasley put his hands on either side of her on the couch.

Her legs moved up onto the sofa and tangled with his as her hands twisted red locks at the base of his neck. Fred sighed against her lips and without realizing it their tongues met another. The wizard moved one hand slowly down to Hermione's hip and gripped it there, grinding them against one another.

Their lips pulled apart, first so she could breath and second so she could let out a groan as she bit her lip.

"Merlin Fred, do that again" she said wrapping a leg around his waist.

He did and smirked down at her as she whimpered. His lips found the corner of her mouth and then trailed down her jawline as the hand at her hips pushed up her skirt farther. She moved against him and pulled at his shirt, effectively untucking it.

As he reached the collar of her shirt, Fred pushed himself up and pulled at her jumper. She sat up to help him and immediately after it was shed Fred began at the buttons of her shirt as she undid her tie. It wasn't long before both were gone.

Fred stared down at her black lacy bra, with one brow raised.

"What?" she demanded "Are bookworms not allowed to wear nice underwear"

He laughed and shook his head "Just imagined you'd wear white"

"First time I did" she said feeling the blush spread through her cheeks.

His hands started unbuttoning his own shirt as he spoke "Aha! So this isn't the brightest witch of her ages first time?"

"Third" she clarified undoing his tie for him.

"Please elaborate"

"Are you going to tell me about every time you've done it then?"

He shrugged and pulled off his shirt "Summer after fourth year in the shed with a girl from the village, fifth year Alicia- that made things bloody awkward for a bit-, and then sixth year with that hufflepuff girl I dated for a couple months."

It was her turn to look surprised "I'd expected a longer list"

He tutted "Its George that gives us the bad name. Practically a man-whore" she laughed and he continued "But you still haven't answered me." He pressed, rubbing circled on her hips with his thumbs.

"Last year Viktor Krum, about a week before the final task….."

He cut her off "And where did you and the Bulgarian sneak off too?"

"We didn't exactly sneak off anywhere. It was just in the back of the library- the restricted section so none of those girls that follow him everywhere would see" He burst into laughter and she hit pushed at his chest.

He wasn't stopping and she continued "Oh Godric, just don't tell Ron he'd go ballistic"

"Literally fraternizing with the enemy" he got out gasping for air.

"Who told you he said that to me!"

After he calmed down he replied "You don't think I asked Gin why I heard you two screaming at one another during the ball? She told me everything"

Hermione snorted "Can't trust a single one you Weasley's to keep your mouth shut"

"And the other one?"

She bit her lip "The night before I came to your house over the summer, I did it with Muggle boy I knew when I was younger"

He leaned over her again, continuing with his previous line of kisses down her chest. "And you're okay with adding me to that list"

She sighed "I think it'll make a good birthday present don't you?"

_0_

 _(Present day)_

Ginny wasn't wrong. They had both seemed much more happy and relaxed for a while after it had happened. Although the morning had been awkward, scrambling after lost clothes and squeezing together in Harry's cloak to try and get up to the common room without any questions on their appearances. Of course that was little use because as soon as she got up to her room she had found the youngest Weasley sitting in her bed, ready to make comment on her 'sex hair'.

She hadn't done much of anything since then. Over summer she had sort of 'gone out with' the same muggle boy she'd slept with before- Rodger- but they hadn't had sex again. Then at the end of summer she had told him she rather liked him more as a friend.

It didn't matter right this moment though, she had to get to lunch. She could think about that as soon as all her homework was done.

Ginny was already seated in the great hall waiting for her. Dean on one side of her and harry across, along with Lavender- who was practically on Ron's lap. She made her way to them and sat beside her friend- giving harry a sympathetic look at being trapped over there alone with the two of them.

Halfway through their meal Ginny was whispering in her ear "Have you decided yet?"

"No" she breathed back "And I don't have to until late tonight."

"Well when you do I already have the cloak and the map in my room all ready for you"

"Thanks" she said sarcastically.

"What are you two whispering about?" Lavender said, butting in her own head.

Before Hermione could stop her the Weasley girl had replied "Just a certain redhead"

"Ginny" she hissed, feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks.

Ginny had opened her mouth to speak again but 'Lav-Lav' beat her to it.

"And what exactly where you saying about Won-won?"

"Nothing…." Hermione began.

"That is any of your business" Ginny finished for her, but not in the wat she had wanted.

"I think its my business when you're talking about my boyfriend" Lavender said moving to stand.

Ron held her down, he looked smug "Relax love she's just jealous."

Hermione's jaw dropped, but Lavender ran with it. "Oh I'm sorry Hermione. I know you've always been interested, but that's no reason to be whispering is it"

The two girls stared at her for a moment, before Ginny burst into a fit of giggles. Hermione didn't find it very funny and waited for her friend to return to normal.

"I'm sorry that was just _golden_ " Ginny said, tears in the corner of her eyes.

She had hardly eaten anything yet, but Hermione stood and said "I think I'm going to go"

"Oh come on Hermione" Harry piped in "Don't go back to the library quite yet. It's you're birthday"

"I'm not" she looked down at Ginny "I'm _leaving_ "

The girl looked elated "The things are all in my trunk. Have fun!"

"I'll be back tomorrow morning" Hermione told her low enough that hopefully no one else had heard, and then turned to walk off.

"You better be!" she called after her friend's retreating back and Hermione laughed to herself.


	2. Chapter 1

Birthday Present : 1

Either the honey dukes passage was shorter than she remembered or she had been too distracted thinking about what she was about to do to notice the time fly by. Soon she was walking into Hogsmade and trying to remember the directions Fred had written on the note.

It didn't take long. The shop was certainly the brightest thing on the street and making her way around the back was no spy mission. Hermione let herself in, just as he had said to, and found herself in a dull storage room.

She wandered farther into the room to find a pot of tea sitting on the counter along with two cups, a warming charm, and a note.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _If you're reading this I'm assuming you are here for my present. I'm likely still working and if you want to you may go into the store to get me, it is your day after all. But if you can wait please sit and enjoy the tea along with any products you may find back there that interest you. I should easily be done by 8. George is already gone to Angela's for the night so we will have all night to enjoy ourselves. See you soon._

 _Love, Fred_

 _P.S. If you want to make our first few hours_ really _fun, drink out of the red cup. I have it dusted in one of our new products that I think you'll enjoy_

The young witch frowned a little as she looked down at the cups. Did she really want to take the risk? Not only was this clearly a new concoction of the twins, but she also had no idea what it would do. What if something went horribly wrong after she drank it and she ended up in Saint Mungos. Not only would she have a huge punishment fromthe school, but it would also embarrass her to no end.

But Fred did make it sound like it would be worth it. And she had the upmost confidence in the twins brewing skills, plus she'd hate to see the look on his face if he came in after work and found she hasn't trusted him enough to try it.

With a glance at her watch to see that he should be coming to get her in less than twenty minutes she poured her cup and began sipping at it. The tea itself was her favorite (black and hibiscus with plenty of honey) so she had the first cup downed within minutes, along with a second after that, and then a third.

In fact she was pouring her fourth into the red cup as Fred entered.

She watched him exhale "I really didn't think you'd come"

"Why not?"

She could have sworn he turned a little red, "I didn't think I'd impressed you enough last year to make it worth the trip"

A small snort escaped her before she answered him "I'll put it this way Fred. Out of the three people I've told you I've slept with, you're the only one I have come back for seconds with"

She took another sip of her tea as he spoke "Don't tell me if you drank the product, I'd like to find out myself"

Hermione wondered how, because she still couldn't feel any affects.

"Care to go up now?" She nodded and set down her cup to follow him up to the twins apartment.

He seemed uncharacteristically nervous tonight and his wand wavered a moment as he spoke the unlocking charms for the door. She immediately understood why as she entered the room. He had set out platers of food that smelled as wonderful as his mother's. The space was lit by floating candles, just like the great hall, and she could see a couple bottles of wine along with one champagne.

"I know you likely already ate at the great hall, but the warming charms should keep the food all night and I was hoping we'd work up an appetite." He explained smirking for the first time that night.

"You didn't even know I'd show up" she exclaimed "You didn't have to do all this."

The redhead shrugged "Wanted to give you a little more than I did last year"

She smiled and asked "Have you eaten?"

"Well I had a large lunch"

Hermione walked towards the table "I had lunch in the library and left in the middle of dinner to come here, so I'm famished as it is."

He rushed forward to pull out her chair and she heard him mutter a 'thank godric.'

He took a seat next to her and she asked "So what's this?" pointing to one dish.

"Uh, it's like a duck casserole. Please don't ask me to pronounce the name, its French." The witch raised an eyebrow at him "Ginny told me you like French food" he answered her unasked question.

"Does she know about what all you've done tonight?"

"No but she certainly has an idea, with all the questions I had for her."

"Well that explains why she was begging me all day to come tonight. Not that she influenced my decision" She added quickly not wanting to seem rude.

"How'd she know?"

"She was in my room when the owl came and practically ripped the letter from my fingers."

He laughed "That sounds like her"

Hermione spooned some of the casserole onto her plate. "This all smells amazing, where did you get it?"

"Can a grown man not cook?" he laughed at her look.

"When did you begin cooking" she said taking a bite "And when did you become so good at it" she moaned around the food in her mouth.

"I had to learn some when we started the business. Pub food is good, but not every night, and mum would cry a lot if we came home at the beginning. George was too distracted with Angela so I took it upon myself to learn"

"You learned well"

He smiled at her. "I'm happy to impress you"

"Oh you're constantly doing that" she said as he poured one of the bottles into her glass. "I thought I was going to faint the first time I walked into your shop"

"Mum actually did" she laughed, "but for completely different reasons"

"I'm serious, you're products are phenomenal. I always wondered why you were wasting time at Hogwarts when you were never going to bother studying. Then last year I started really looking at the things you all were making and now I want to know why you weren't top of your class"

"I'm glad someone noticed"

"You deserve to be noticed"

"So do you" he said "Speaking of has my brother woken up from his Lavender induced haze"

"Meaning?"

"Has he realized what a wonderful girl sits next to him at every meal and helps him with his homework"

She turned red in seconds "No, and I don't really think I want him to" she fumbled "Not that I want him to stay with Lavender forever she's a tart," Fred snorted "I just don't want him to get the wrong idea about me"

"Wait so you don't like my brother?" he said laughing.

"I wouldn't exactly be coming here to have sex with you if I did, would I"

He blinked a few times in shock "Mum's going to cry. I think she heard wedding bells the first time she laid eyes on you"

"Yes, well I can't say I haven't thought about what a wonderful mother-in-law she'd be"

He had picked up the scallops and pushed a couple onto her plate "When she finally comes to realize you two aren't engaged I'll tell her you said that"

"He'll find someone nice" she said quietly. "Just some one who's a lot more…."

"Dim?" Fred suggested making her laugh.

"Not the word I was looking for." Still a smile crossed her lips as she reached for her napkin to suddenly feel heat hitting her arm. Just like the feeling of sunlight coming through the windows early in the morning.

The young witch yanked her hand back. She'd only touched Fred but that was certainly not the feeling one got just brushing arms.

"You definitely drank the potion" He grinned from ear to ear "George tried to tell me how it felt, but I didn't exactly have anyone to test it out with"

"How does it work exactly?" she asked staring at her arm in wonder.

He reached towards her and ran two fingers down her fore arm. Along with the feeling of his skin was rushing water. Like waves on the beach.

"The product comes with two potions. Each partner drinks one and it links them, when they touch it causes them to feel different things each time."

"Mhh, that one's nice" she said as he clasped her hand.

"This one's the ocean, I think we picked a good twenty different sensory styles."

She looked up at him "You're ingenious Fred."

"It's nothing. There have been plenty of products similar, it's just that most of them are for…. Self-use"

She moved forward in her chair to lean into him. He did so as well and soon her hands were gripping his shoulders and she was kissing him everywhere. Each new touch had a different sensation- wind, fire, sand, grass, rain- and they were all shiver inducing.

Meanwhile Fred's hands were roaming her, occasionally moving to pull her farther out of her school skirt as he nibbled her ear above. Hermione sucked on his chin and neck where stubble was already scratching her from his morning's shave- or perhaps that was the feeling of sand. It didn't matter.

As she moved farther down and her hands began working on his button down from work, he pulled away.

"Couch or bed?"

With a quick glance so that she could see the couch was only a few meters away she answered. "Couch"

He pulled her over, both her hands in his. She shivered from the feeling of snow falling on her head. The brown haired girl fell gracelessly onto the couch as he pulled off his suit jacket. The loss of the sensations was only but a second and soon she was continuing to unbutton his shirt as he did her tie, both basking in the heat of what felt like the common room's fireplace.

The moment his shirt was gone, Fred was pressing himself against her, holding her tight around the waist as his lips attacked hers. She laughed a little against his mouth, feeling the first round of sparks, like fireworks going off on their tongues. He grinned against her and began pulling off her shirt, occasionally popping off buttons instead of undoing them. Hermione shimmied herself out of her skirt and tugged down his pants.

Every movement was a blur of fabric, pleasure, and laughter. They fumbled with bra straps and shoes, but only laughed and moved on. Their mouths clashed like the waves she felt against her skin, and it only seemed to further their fight for control. His hands forced her farther into the couch and her foot rubbed against his cock. Moans were pressed into one another's lips.

When he was finally pushing into her the dance kept on. She started on top, but the red-haired wizard quickly flipped them. He kept one leg pushed over her head and Hermione clawed at his back.

"Is that-" she gasped "All you have Weasley?"

He didn't respond, but a low rumble emitted from his throat before he pushed up her other leg as well to slam against her.

The witch's giggle was cut off by the combined feeling of being filled and vine's wrapping around her where Fred's hands gripped her legs. Still she had her pride. So she wrestled herself out of his hold, only to push him down onto the couch. The witch carefully positioned herself by leaning back against his chest, before she started bouncing up and down.

He took advantage of his height leverage against the couch to thrust his hips up, and meet her halfway.

"Merlin Granger" he murmured, pawing at one of her breasts. "I hid my brains at Hogwarts and you hide these under those fucking jumpers"

She allowed him to pull her down against his chest so he had the majority control over the movement. He kept a slow pace and she answered with a huff of annoyance "Just because I wear the proper size doesn't mean I hide anything"

"Maybe boys like Ronniekins" he grunted, gripping her hips hard enough to bruise "would notice more if you wore shirts a size too small, like that bint Lavender."

She reached back to tug on his hair, loving how it felt like sand flowing through her fingers. "Mhhhm, I don't want boys like Ron to notice me"

"And why not?"

Hermione pulled on a ginger lock "Well it seems now I already had a man like you notice me, why would I want to take a step down the ladder."

He laughed and she took the opportunity to sit up and turn to face him. Fred was grinning even as she pushed his hands down into the couch.

"What made you so happy?" she asked slowly pulling up.

"You think I'm a man?" she nodded and sunk down onto him "Hmph… that's laughable" he groaned. "Every other adult I speak to tells me I'm a child in a large body"

She leaned down to kiss him (reveling in the second round of sparks) and continued moving her hips with his. "No Fred, no child could ever think of the things you do to keep this shop stocked and new"

"Thank you"

"Oh don't thank me" she hummed going down once more. "You worked for all of this, you deserve the recognition."

He took hold on her hips to help the pace. "I thought this whole night covered that"

"Well damn" she laughed "I thought it was for my birthday"

"Oh you're right love, suppose I should put in some more work" Fred said before flipping them just as he had done in the beginning.

"Mmmmhh" He wasted no time, holding both her feet against the head of the couch, and slamming into her as their mouths fought.

She dug her fingernails into his shoulders, aiming her lips to suck on his neck. By the end of the night he would be covered in purple spots.

Hermione could feel the couch slipping under her, much longer and they 'de be fucking on the floor. Thankfully it didn't take that long for her legs to start jerking and Fred to start moaning.

She moved her hands up his neck to tug on his hair and let out a whine against the skin under his ear. He had her unraveling and words were tumbling out of her mouth faster than the breeze she felt on her chest. The witch was begging him, hissing dirty words and moans into the crook of his neck as she let go.

"Merlin Granger" he grunted, following her lead. The twitching around his cock had been too much and he was soon collapsing on top of her, as he let out the last few strings inside her.

He leaned down to kiss her sweaty lips, before pulling out and rolling over to sit on the couch.

"Mhhhm, I wish it was my birthday every day." She murmured.

"Love, you can come for that any day of the year" he turned his head to look at her "It's certainly a gift for me too"

She laughed "Oh I'm sure there's plenty of witches that travel through Hogsmade that you could get up here"

"Well of course" he said with all the classic bravado of a Weasley twin "I mean look at me, I think even McGonnigal wanted to jump my bones." Then he let out a long sigh "But that doesn't mean I like _them_ enough to invite them up"

"So you mean to say you haven't had a single other witch up here" Hermione asked pushing herself up on the cushions.

"You are the first." He sighed "And likely the only for a while, running the shop is a lot more work than I ever anticipated."

She seemed to think about it for a moment "I know you likely don't need it, but my mum always told me when you can't figure something out, you need to collaborate. So if you ever need help with any of your products, I'd love for you to owl me so I can join in your testing process."

"Really?" he asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Of course, I think it would be good study for me as well." Her cheeks flamed a little "Plus it would give me an excuse to come up here for" she gestured between the two of them "this"

He didn't say anything for a moment only looked at her strangely.

"Only if it was okay with you" she rushed "and so long as it doesn't make things awkward."

He sat forward to kiss her. She could feel the last few fading sparks from the dying potion on her lips and where his hand braced her neck. "That sounds wonderful."

* * *

 **Well there is chapter 1, I have two pretty much done and am going to begin editing. My goal is to have a chapter up at least once a week and hopefully to continue showing their relationship and how it progresses throughout the war.**

 **By the way, I know WWW isn't in Hogsmade, but for the purpose of the story it was easier to do that than come up with some elaborate scheme for Hermione to get there.**

 **Thanks for Reading. R &R**

 **Mel**


	3. Chapter 2

Birthday Present : Chapter 2

* * *

"Why?"

Hermione teetered for a moment. She had hoped he wouldn't ask. Most of the time Harry just assumed she had good reason to borrow the cloak, but she couldn't exactly tell him why.

"I'd… rather not say" she bit her lip.

"Mione it's the third time you've asked in three weeks, what are you up to." He whispered closing his book.

The two were in the library studying for tomorrow's charms exam. Ron was off somewhere with Lavender, but there was no telling when he would decide to show up. When he did it would be her que to leave, so she had to get harry to agree now. She wanted to be leaving Hogwarts during lunch.

"Would you please trust me when I say it's for a good purpose."

He eyed her a second. "Promise me you're not putting yourself in any unnecessary danger?"

"I swear its nothing like that"

"They're both in my trunk, ask Ginny if you need help getting them"

She smiled from ear to ear "Thanks Harry"

* * *

The twins had a fairly complicated set of charms locking their door to the storage room, and more on the one leading into their apartment. However by this point Hermione had done them a few times and she had the wand movements down.

The witch entered the apartment immediately setting her bag down on the counter. She already felt at home among the stacked plates (which made her roll her eyes, it's not like they had _magic_ to help them clean) and boxes full of products.

Fred was seated on their maroon couch- the same couch they had used her first night there- leaning over a pot that was giving off a disturbing smell.

"What is it this time" she asked, bending down to whiff the pot, and instantly regretting it.

"It's _supposed_ to be an all-nighter nougat, but all I get right now when you chew it is an inability to sleep with no energy," He huffed. "And horrible hiccups"

She slid to the floor next to him, and leaned against the couch. "What exactly do you want it to do"

"We need it to keep a person up and give them a lot of energy, and focus. Preferably for around 15 hours" He ran a hand through his ginger hair "I'm trying to penetrate the older more studious children at Hogwarts."

"I can see that" she said looking over the ingredients he had spread over the table. "But I have to point out that if it's really necessary, most students just drink coffee."

"Well I must point out" he said in a terrible imitation of her "That in our Hogwarts days Forge and I hated coffee, we used to buy those muggle energy drinks over break and stash them through the year."

He got up suddenly, and walked to the kitchen. "But they still didn't make us as focused as we wanted" He called back "We were always disoriented and out of it. So we'd spend all night setting up a prank, only to be too tired to really enjoy it"

The wizard strode back into the room "I can't imagine it would be any better for someone who studies all night, only to fail regardless because they're too tired."

"Or students could just learn responsibility and study in advance for tests"

Fred snorted. "Don't act like you haven't fallen asleep in the common room before"

"Only on a handful of occasions" she said proudly. "Although I must admit its become a much more common occurrence this year."

"Granger? Are you sure it's not just because you have no one to levitate you up to your room anymore?"

"What?"

He raised an eyebrow at her "Don't tell me we never woke you up?" at her confused look he went on "George and I have probably brought you up to your room hundreds of times over the years."

"You two used to levitate me to bed" she shrieked.

"We would come back to the common room at ungodly hours of the morning to find you asleep on the couch," He exclaimed "S'not like we were going to leave you there. I even did it once at the burrow over holiday"

"I don't believe you, boys can't even get up to the girl's dormitory"

His face turned into the twin's classic smirk as he laughed at her "Love we figured out how to get up to the girls dorms in second year, for much different reasons"

She crossed her arms over her chest "I still don't believe you,"

"Your bed is the second one on the left side of the room"

Her face went red. "Well thank you then"

"Do you think some peppermint would help?" He asked holding up a bag of the crushed candy.

She looked over the listed ingredients he had next to the pot. "Defiantly, I'd also up the porcupine quills."

He measured and poured in the peppermint. "We'll make a couple pots tonight, they'll harden overnight and I'll test them tomorrow."

"Alright" she stood "I'll go get some more cauldrons from downstairs."

She opened the door intending to go downstairs only to find George standing in the frame.

"Oh" she said surprised "I didn't realize you were going to be home tonight" So far Fred had only invited her on nights his twin was with his girlfriend. She had told him it didn't matter to her weather George was there or not, but she had also thought it made him uncomfortable to think about doing any of their 'activities' with his brother in the same flat.

"Funny, I didn't think _you_ were going to be here" George said.

She blinked in confusion, but George only pushed his way into the apartment.

"What are you doing back so early Forge." Fred asked with a pained look on his face "You usually don't come back until late tomorrow"

"Had a bit of a row with Angie," He said tight lipped "Can I talk to you in the other room for a moment"

Fred gave him a small nod and turned to her "I'll be right back, go ahead and get those cauldrons for us would you"

She nodded in return, and he left to follow his twin into the bedroom.

* * *

"What the fuck do you think you're doing" George said the moment the door closed.

"I really don't see what's wrong with it. She's very helpful with our products."

His twin let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair "I already explained this to you when you asked me about inviting her over a couple months ago."

"I didn't see the problem then, I don't see it now" he defensively pushed his hands into the pockets of his robes.

"If Ronniekins ever finds out, he and mum will have a conniption" George began "The boy practically laid his claim two years ago when he cursed out victor Krum all summer"

"One:" He held up a finger "Ron doesn't just get to decide she's his. Two:" Another digit went up "She's already told me she had absolutely no interest in our younger brother"

"Doesn't matter if she is or not" George hissed "You go out with her and he will forever think you stole her"

"We're not going out" Fred defended "She helps me with the products and we occasionally engage in…." he searched for the right wording "…mutual stress relief"

"Merlin's bollucks Fred! This has happened before!"

"Just a handful of times" He mumbled "And they aren't dates."

George made a noise of distress as he rubbed his eyes "You know I hate having to say what's good for you, but you're my brother and I'm not going to let you stumble in and send our family into turmoil over one bird" He pulled his hand from his face, and placed one on Fred's shoulder. He looked his brother in the eye as he said "This will not end well Freddy, you have had a crush on her since 6th year, and you might not look at them as dates now, but soon you'll be inviting her for a butterbeer or taking her to a bookstore and both of you will become invested"

"Would it hurt so much if that did happen" His twin looked sad "It's not right that one of us can just lay claim on a girl, regardless of any of the other's feelings, and she's never allowed to date any Weasley but the one"

"I know its not right" He said "But we _have_ to do it that way, do you even remember what it was like the summer after Charlie's third year at Hogwarts."

"Hell" He commented, making light of what that summer really was.

"Exactly, it was like the family had split in two" he gestured with his hands "And Ron is much more possessive of Hermione than Charlie ever was about Lana"

"But he is also much more grown up" Fred insisted. "We're not third years anymore mate, there is a war coming. She said she doesn't ever want to be with him, and if she likes me like I do her, I'm not going to go asking for Ronnie's approval."

"You're really going to ignore all my warnings"

"Yes"

George sighed "I've done everything in my power to stop you, so now I can say go out there and woo her brother"

Fred grinned for the first time since they entered the bedroom. "Will you stick around?"

"No" George said heading towards his dresser "I'll call Lee and we'll go out tonight. Besides it sounds like you and Herms have plans" He winked as he pulled on some nice robes. "Just remember when Ron finds out and the whole family is on your arse in a few months, I warned you"

He nodded and watched as he twin dissaperated to meet Lee before going out into the living room once more.

* * *

"Ginny" The red head looked up at the call of her name, and sighed in relief. Dean and her had an argument and she was hiding out by the lake hoping he wouldn't find her. Thankfully it was just harry.

"Hi Harry," she said standing. "What do you need?"

"Gin, do you know what Hermione's been up to lately?" He had a worried look on his features.

"What she's been up to _lately?_ "

"Yeah" he said adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder "She keeps borrowing my cloak, on weekends especially"

She couldn't stop the little smile that grew on her face "Well, I wouldn't know for sure, but I have a really good idea of where she's heading off to."

"Can you tell me" Ginny shook no "But she's not doing anything dangerous or bad for her"

"Of course not" she assured "She's just doing something that… makes her happy" she finished.

He let out a sigh "I have noticed she's been acting more relaxed lately, and she isn't quite as angry around Ron and Lavender"

The witch nodded, "I think what she's doing is really good for her"

Harry stiffened "Gin, would this thing she's doing upset Ron if he found out?"

"Defiantly," she snorted "but he's too absorbed with Lavender at the moment so I doubt he'll notice"

"Well alright, so long as she's not going to hurt herself" He turned to leave.

"Wait" he glanced back at her "Would you like to stay a bit, it's really quiet out here"

"Is…dean not coming." he said looking at the napkin of snacks she'd taken from the kitchens.

"No, just me and I'd like some company"

"Ron's probably wondering where I am" He said lamely.

"Oh please, Ron's probably in a broom closet mid snog" she said crossing her arms "I tried to get Hermione to come out with me, but she said she had a letter to write and studying to do afterwards"

She watched him take a look at the castle before setting his bag down next to hers under the shade of the tree she'd been using.

* * *

" _I'm not sure if I should go"_ Hermione heard in a squeaky tone, before Ginny had pulled apart the curtains on her bed to stick her head in. _"I don't know what I was thinking last year"_ She continued, in what Hermione assumed was supposed to be an imitation of her.

Her face flamed as she pulled her friend onto the bed, before closing the curtain once more and casting a mufflito.

"How'd you find out" she said, feeling the heat spread through her ears.

"Harry asked me why you kept borrowing his cloak, then I put the pieces together" She shrugged "You are going out to see Fred right"

"I am, but I'm not sure how much longer" She said looking down at her lap.

The youngest Weasley sat up on the covers "What are you talking about, you've practically been skipping through the halls the past few weeks you're so happy"

Hermione took a deep breath as she prepared to tell Ginny what happened at the twins apartment. "George is worried about Ron"

"What?" she asked laughing.

"Fred and George had this spat in another room last time I was there. When they came out Fred explained that Ron had some sort of 'dibs' on me and that if he found out what we were doing he'd be angry. Which might cause" She searched for the words to use "He called it a 'family ripple'"

Ginny's face took on a look of clarity "This is about Bill and Charlie"

Hermione's brow crinkled "What do they have to do with any of this"

Her red haired friend sighed "I was almost too young to remember any of it, but there was a lot of screaming that summer, and I've heard stories."

"Elaborate Ginny"

"When I was about 4, Charlie and Bill came home from Hogwarts over summer with this huge row going on. There was this girl in Charlie's year he had the biggest crush on, I think he even tried out for the quidditch team trying to impress her." The girls giggled.

"But then he found Bill snogging her brains out in the back of the library. They blew up on one another. Charlie was angry that Bill had gone after the girl he knew he liked, and Bill was upset he couldn't go out with her just because Charlie spoke up first."

"That's ridiculous" Hermione scoffed.

"I know it is" Ginny shrugged "But that summer was awful, it was just screaming and everyone was taking sides. It only ended when Bill agreed to break it off with her. Ever since all the boys have had this thing where if they lay some sort of unspoken claim on a witch, no one else can go after her, even if she's not interested in the one"

"I'm almost sickened" Hermione said face furrowed in anger "They're treating girls like cattle"

"I've always hated it as well, but it does keep the boys from rowing."

"Ron even has a girlfriend right now, does that not mean he's given up his 'claim'" she asked using air quotes.

"Unfortunately, no" she said "Not by the boys standards. If you ask me though, I think it should be the witch's choice."

"Well I'm not sure it's that much of an issue" she said staring at her hands "We're not exactly going out in the first place"

"What do you do when you go see him?" the younger girl asked leaning back on her hands.

"I help him with his products, we eat, talk a little and uh usually we end it by" she made a hole with one hand and put a finger through with the other.

Ginny laughed "I don't know what he thinks a date is, but I'd defiantly call that one. Unless you're truly only interested in the educational purpose and sex"

She didn't think it was possible but another rush of blood flooded her face. "I like him"

"Well then, I think the best course of action would be to ask him if he feels the same next time you're there. If he does- and he's stupid if he doesn't- you start calling them dates and continue happily in your secret relationship."

"And when Ron finds out" She asked twisting her hands.

"Ron can Fuck off"

* * *

 **Please Review! (also tell me if the sex scene last chapter was okay, I have a rough time writing them so any tips would be greatly appreciated)**

 **Mel**


	4. Chapter 3

Birthday Present: Chapter 3

Somewhere in the back of her mind Hermione remembered that she was supposed to have talked to Fred when she came in, but every other part of her body was otherwise occupied.

Her hands were being held against the door of the twin's apartment and the wizard had his leg pushed in-between both of hers. His lips were moving down her neck sucking and biting, leaving enough marks for her to know she would need a strong concealment charm. She bucked against his knee as teeth grazed her nipple. The witch could feel his smirk against her skin.

"Fred" she groaned as his knee jerked up against her core. "Bed please" she whined further.

He understood her fragmented request and released her hands to grip her hips and lead her to his bedroom.

The witch found herself being pushed back- for the second time in a month- onto maroon sheets. For the second time in a month- she had no complaints on being pushed.

The wizard hovered above her, the classic Weasley twin smirk smeared across his face. His eyes roamed her as she propped herself up on both elbows. After a moment of locked stares, she reached forward to pull him from his jeans.

The first time, he had been surprised to find he didn't have to verbally ask. Still there was no less of a wow factor each time Hermione took him into her mouth. A completely different side of Hermione came out when they had sex, but when she sucked him off, he could still glimpse the prefect girl who would yell at him for testing products on first years. Big brown eyes would glance up at him, as he twined his fingers gently into her hair, and make him shiver.

She ran her tongue up the side of his shaft and he tugged on a curl, before biting his lip. The red head was trying his best to keep in the embarrassing sounds she was causing him to make, and the impulsive jerks of his hands and hips. He had a tendency to get carried away, but last time he had heard her choke for just a second, and it had worried him more than he'd like to admit.

The witch hummed around him, and he smiled for a moment before a thought occurred to him.

"Merlin, where did you learn to do this so well?"

Hermione had been halfway down when the words left him, and she choked for a moment before pulling off.

He immediately crouched down and took hold of her shoulders as she coughed.

"You alright love?"

She nodded up at his concerned look. "Just wasn't expecting any questions"

He waited another moment before asking "Well?"

Hermione looked up at him surprised "Well what?"

"Where did you learn"

She blinked up at him for a moment "I've already told you about the only other two people I've slept with Fred,"

He flushed a little "Well I wasn't sure you counted that as well"

She looked horrified "The only other person that" she gestured down at him "has happened with is the muggle boy over a year ago, happy now" Her face was red with anger.

"I'm sorry" he rushed "I didn't mean to imply anything, I just wanted to know"

She stood up then and moved past him.

"Where are you going?" he called after her as she left the bedroom. He made to follow her pulling up his pants as he went "Please don't leave Herms, I really liked having you drop in tonight"

The redhead watched her pull on her bra and half button her school shirt. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I had my foot in my mouth, I'm sorry" she looked up at him "at least let me walk with you to the end of the passage"

"I'm not leaving" she finally answered him "I just realized that I came tonight because I had some things to ask you, and we shouldn't be doing anything before we get that out of the way"

He was relived she would be staying, but his cock was still straining against his pants, and wasn't quite as exited at the prospect of talking. Still he pulled out one of the dining chairs and gestured for her to sit.

"Please go put on a shirt for me" she asked sitting down.

He was back within a minute in an old t-shirt. The chudley cannons logo was almost invisible it was so worn. "Go on" he said sitting down.

She let out a long breath before starting "I like you a lot, not just sex but talking to you and coming to help with your products. I can't keep sleeping with you if you don't feel the same because that would be unfair to both of us for obvious reasons"

Fred tensed in his chair. He had never expected something like this from the Gryffindor princess, despite his own feelings. Even when they slept together he had thought it was all sort of taboo for her, sleeping with your best mate's older brother, or perhaps sleeping with a troublemaker.

"Well" she began to stand face cherry "I think that's answer enough"

"No!" he shouted too quickly, stopping her mid-rise "I really like you as well Granger"

She sank back down "And what do you think about Ron's opinion"

He glanced quickly at George's room knowing he would be against what he was about to say. "I really don't give two shits how angry he'll be. Are you worried though?"

She hummed reaching for his hand "To quote Ginny on this, Ron can fuck off"

A smile split his face "You got my baby sister on our side already" Hermione nodded "Good, we'll need her to knock some sense into everyone when this all blows up"

The witch let out a laugh as he squeezed her fingers.

"Would you like to do anything special tonight love?"

"I could help finish this" she pressed down on his lap "I did stop in an awkward place didn't I?"

He leaned down to look at her eyes "I can do one better"

* * *

Hermione had slowly begun to hate Wednesdays. It was the only day of the week she knew she couldn't go see Fred. He had told her they didn't get much business those days so he and George usually closed early and went to their parents for dinner.

"Mum's still a little upset about our life choices" he said to her a couple nights ago "But she's less upset every time we come to see them and I bring a dish of lasagna"

So it seemed she would be stuck at school tonight. Really it was probably good for her, she'd fallen a bit behind on her schoolwork (meaning she's only done her homework for the next week), and could use a couple hours in the library.

She swirled the spoon in her soup. She'd only eaten half of it, but dinner was almost over and it had gone cold. Harry kept glancing up at her with concern, but said nothing. Ginny was absent tonight- presumably with dean somewhere- and Ron was nowhere to be seen.

"Hermione I need to speak to you" The witch looked up at him "I need to know what you're doing before I let you use the cloak again"

"What?" she demanded "I told you Harry I'm in no trouble"

"I know" he said leaning forward to whisper to her "But Ginny did tell me that what you were doing might hurt…..someone else"

She grit her teeth and let her spoon drop. "And who exactly did she say it would hurt?"

"Ron, and you two aren't exactly on the best terms right now are you"

She nearly snapped "It's not my fault he chooses to romp around with a blond tart and doesn't even have the decency to do it in private like other people"

Harry sat up with a shocked expression "Hermione are you seeing someone?"

She scrunched her brow and looked around, the table was empty around them mostly, but she could see the Ravenclaw Patel twin sitting right behind her best friend, and looking completely uninterested in the conversation her friends were having around her.

"Come with me" she stood and trusting Harry would follow.

* * *

Today was not Ronald Weasley's day. He'd been too late waking up for breakfast and almost late for Snape's. The run through the dungeon had not been fun trying to push through all the snakes down there. Then Hermione had already paired up with Harry for the day so he'd been stuck with Jo Mc'Avy- a Slytherin so clumsy that even his own housemates refused to pair with him.

It hadn't helped that Lavender adamantly placed herself in his lap for Lunch. He never thought about how hard it was to eat with all that hair in your face and lips attacking your head. After ten minutes of failed attempts to finish his pumpkin juice he shoved her off. That had only resulted in a ten minute shouting session outside the great hall, and then him missing transfiguration to go down to the kitchens.

On his way to charms Mc'Gonagall caught him and took ten house point along with a detention on Saturday for skiving. Then after class he went to the common room to try and finish the essay that was due in Herbology (yesterday) that he couldn't finish without Hermione who was currently giving him the silent treatment.

He'd been scratching down the last few lines of choppy information onto his parchment when Lavender came downstairs and attempted the same she had at lunch.

"Won-Won" she sighed wrapping her arms around his neck "I forgive you for the way you acted earlier."

"Ge' off me" he'd said turning Gryffindor red in anger, and had shoved her. The blond had landed on the floor and he swore for a second her look of rage rivaled Snape's.

Another row came, halfway into which he stopped her mid-sentence to tell her it they were done. It would have been the best part of his day had the little wench not slapped him hard enough to leave a handprint on his cheek.

He finally sat down to finish when the common room door burst open and in flew none other than Hermione. She had her potions book clutched to her chest and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Harry was rushing after her calling her name.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think it's fair to…" the boy who lived trailed off upon seeing Ron.

She whipped around on him "Frankly I don't think it's fair to _me_ ," she sputtered "treating me like I'm some property."

Harry's conflicted face softened "I'm sorry Mione, I didn't think of it that way"

"No you boys never do" she screeched before turning to go up the girls steps.

His best friend took another look at him, before dashing up the stairs to the boy's dorm.

Ron followed right behind him and as Harry was setting down his bag he demanded. "What was that about?"

He could tell his friend was at war with himself on what he should say "It was nothing Ron,"

"I'm not daft Harry" he said face flaring. "And it sounded like it was about me"

The other boy let out a long sigh "I was just trying to ease the situation between the two of you"

He smiled a bit at that "I don't think that will be much of an issue now"

Harry blinked at him "What?"

"I broke up with her" he said proudly "Do you think Hermione will start talking to me again?"

"Probably, but not right away. I think she'll ease into it again"

The red head flopped down on his bed "Thank Godric, I need help studying in Charms bad. I started failing the class without her."

"You know she's not a servent" Harry muttered.

"I know and I don't mean it like that, it's just something she's good at.

"Then I'd tell her that mate"

Ron turned over to look at his friend "Do you think she knows?" He asked knowing the younger boy would know what he was talking about.

"I think she has a pretty good idea, Ron"

* * *

Hermione had not been prepared for the onslaught that awaited her in her dormitory.

When she first entered she only saw a hunched up figure on Paravati's bed sobbing loud enough to be heard from the astronomy tower. Then she had seen Paravati herself standing next to the bed glaring daggers at her.

Very suddenly the mass of blonde curls previously balled on the bed had stood and rushed forward. Lavenders fists were balled and tears were streaking down her face.

"This is your fault" she screeched through grit teeth. "Wonnie was always upset because you weren't speaking to him or you weren't helping him with his homework"

She hadn't noticed it, but when Lavender had come towards her Hermione had backed away and hit her back against the door. Now she stood straight and did her best to pull her face together- she had just been crying herself.

"I didn't do anything. Ron knew what he was doing upset me and he continued regardless"

"Exactly you can't handle him dating anyone but yourself, you jealo-"

Hermione blew up "I am not jealous!" she yelled "I am disgusted by the way you two chose to act in public! He chose to stop speaking to me as much as I chose to stop speaking to him," she huffed.

"Don't tell me you don't even like him" she sniffed.

The shorter girl deflated from her defensive stance "I don't, I love him like my brother, and I really want him to find someone that makes him happy. If you can do that and keep the more intimate moments ….. private, I would love for the two of you to be together"

What happened next was even more shocking than when she entered the room. She watched Lavenders lip quiver a moment before the blonde threw her arms around her. It took her a moment to figure out that it was a hug and not a strangle, but Hermione squeezed back, spitting curls out of her mouth as she did.

"I'm so sorry I've been so mean to you" she sniffed again "I really thought you were after Ron all these years and when you stopped talking to him I ju- just assumed"

"Its okay" she assured rubbing the other witch's back "What made you cry?"

She pulled away "We broke up"

"Oh I'm so sorry Lavender"

"I-I just don't know what I did" she sobbed.

The brown eyed witch reached a hand out to rub her arm "I don't think it's your fault, but I do think he'll wake up one day and realize what he did. He's not as dumb as most people think he is"

She laughed "We agree on something"

* * *

Despite having lived together since the day she was born, she and her brother didn't have a lot of serous talks. Usually they resolved issues with one another by coming up to each other yelling. For him to have found her in the library and sat next to her was out of the blue.

Ginny shut her charms book (which she hadn't been paying much attention to anyhow) and turned to him.

"Do you need something?"

Her brother was staring at his lap "Actually I need a bit of advice"

"About what?" she asked sighing.

"Hermione."

She stiffened "Why do you need _my_ advice, you're better friends with her than I am"

The older Weasley huffed "Not lately, and I don't exactly want friend advice Gin"

The witch did her best not to give away the pain this conversation was already causing her "Ron I'm not going to give you tips to snog my friend"

The tops of his ears went red "I don't just want to snog her, she's my friend too and I respect her. I just want to know if you think the way she acted around Lavender and I had anything to do with her possibly being jealous, and if it's too soon for me ask her to go to Hogsmade."

"No and Yes." Ginny answered quickly, beginning to pack her things. She wanted out of this talk, and fast.

"Wha'de you mean no?" he sputtered "You can't tell me her being so hostile to me all this time had nothing to do with her liking me"

She opened her mouth to respond but Madam Pince poked her head around a corner first to hush them.

"I think that she really enjoys being your friend" she whispered once the librarian had disappeared "And only your friend. You should be grateful for that and go with her to Hogsmade as _friends._ Maybe you could even buy her a butterbeer to make up for the way you've been acting like in arse the past few months."

She watched a look of clarity pass over her older sibling's features, and hoped her words had sunk in.

"Thanks Gin" he said quietly.

She swung her satchel over her shoulder and began making her way out of the library "My pleasure"

* * *

 _Why do I ever bother being on time,_ Hermione wondered. Harry was never on time. She settled down on a bench in the courtyard to watch all the other students pass on their way to Hogsmade, and look for her friend.

She didn't even notice Ron walking up to her until his chest was blocking her view.

"Hey Hermione" he said sounding nervous and a little sheepish.

Should she speak? She hadn't said a word to him since he and Lavender first got together. He wasn't going to be acting inappropriate in public anymore, but it was only because he had no one to do it with.

"Hi Ronald" she finally decided "Do you know where Harry is?"

"He's not coming" the red head said shoving his hands down into his pockets "He told me last night after practice that the new beaters needed a lot of help so he's going to be staying at school today"

"Oh" she said standing "Well maybe I can find Ginny or Neville to come with me"

"I'm sorry" he blurted "I've acted inappropriate the past few weeks."

The witch raised both eyebrows in shock. He continued.

"I knew I was bothering people but I continued and I'm sorry. I'd like to make it up to you today and buy you a butterbeer." He was staring at the ground, but Hermione smiled anyway.

"I'd like that Ron"

* * *

 **AN: I know the beginning is a little awkward. I tried really hard to do that sexy scene from Fred's POV because I don't like switching people without switching scenes. At the same time, really descriptive BJ's creep me out so I tried to distract him and I'm not sure that worked out well but...**

 **Please Review**

 **Mel**


	5. Chapter 4

**Birthday Present: Chapter 4**

 **AN: Posting a little early, and you all can thank I was BOTWP and Duner89. I loved your reviews. I'm sorry I couldn't give you guys another chapter because this one is a little fillerish and shorter than some of my others, but definatly needed for the progression of the story.**

 **In response to your reviews, I really like the guesses you make as to what's going to happen because when I post I'm usually 1-3 chapters ahead of what I just put up. So a lot of the time what you guys say are things I never even considered when I was writing the upcoming chapters. I thought about allowing myself to fall back on my chapters so I could consider what you guys had to say more before I wrote instead of just editing, but I know that if I do that I will eventually fall behind and won't post weekly like I have been. Plus when I'm ahead and I'm getting a lot of reviews I can occasionally afford to post an extra time that week as a reward.**

 **So thanks guys, I'll post again Friday.**

* * *

She shivered as they passed honeydukes. It was a much colder trip to Hogsmade above ground, and it almost felt alien to be coming this way, especially with Ron at her side.

Her ginger friend had kept pretty quiet on their walk. He asked her small things, like what she had been reading recently and how she was fairing on the Potions project due in a week. She answered in short, but polite sentences. She supposed it wasn't a great way to carry on a conversation, but in her current situation she really didn't want to have a lengthy talk with her boyfriend's little brother.

"Do you plan on watching the match next Saturday?"

"Hmm?" she asked, having been distracted. Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had just come into view and she'd been looking avidly through the glass trying to get a glimpse of the brother she wished was out here with her.

"The match," he restated "next Sunday, it's going to be a Revenclaw vs Slytherin. Do you think you'd like to go?"

She opened her mouth to reply that she might as well, before thinking better of it. The halls would be empty all morning. Ravenclaw's and Slytherins would go to support their teams, Gryffindors would go to boo Slytherin, and even if there were a few lingering Hufflepuffs she was sure she could get past them with the use of the map. It would be the perfect time to leave the castle and visit Fred for the day. He kept mentioning about how he wanted a day off with her anyway, and she had found one.

"I don't think so" she began instead "The matches tend to give me a nasty migraine and I have a few things I'd like to get done that day"

"Oh" Ron deflated "Are you sure, I was thinking it would be fun for you and I to go" She looked up at him "And with Harry of course"

Hermione shook her head, attempting to look disappointed "I'm sorry, I really don't think I'll be able to get through it without a whopper of a headache"

"Well, why do you ever come to the matches then?" He asked suspicious.

The brightest witch of her age fidgeted at the question "I- I only come to Gryffindor games really" she concluded "To watch you and Harry play, it's worth the pain then"

She looked up at him to gage his reaction and found him grinning.

"Then I guess if you endure the matches for my sake, I could endure missing one to help you out on Saturday"

"No!" she said far too quickly "I wouldn't want you to miss a game for me" she made up trying to catch her mistake "You sound very excited and I wouldn't want to ruin it for you, but afterwards you can tell me all about what happened and we can study for our transfiguration Exam next Monday"

"We have an exam next Monday? How do you know that, Mc'Gonnigal usually doesn't tell us until a few days before"

"She has a syllabus that gives the dates for all of her important assignments posted in the back of the class" Hermione said amused.

"Didn't know that" He muttered. Ron stopped their walking in front of the quidditch supply store, "Sorry do you mind if I run in for a new pair of gloves, my old ones have gotten pretty beaten lately.

"No, but I'll stay out here" she said crossing her arms over her chest to try and gain back some warmth. No matter how cold it was, outside was better than the stink of new plastic that clung to the merchandise in the quidditch store.

"I promise I'll be right back" Then he went inside leaving Hermione alone. She turned and gave a wistful glance at the joke shop. Had she come with Harry the two likely would have split at some point during the day and she could have made her way into the storage room to wait for Fred to take his lunch break, but it didn't seem Ron was going to let her off so easy. He seemed to be trying very hard to make amends for what the past month had done to their relationship.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of two arms wrapping around her from behind. They lifted her just off the ground and she let out a yelp.

"Relax love" he said putting her down and spinning her to face him. "Can I get a little peck before my ickle little brother comes out."

She frowned looking up at him "You're not funny George"

He released his hold "Damn, I didn't really believe Freddy when he said you could always tell us apart."

The witch shrugged "It's not that hard, just takes a moment of concentration"

"Hm" he considered "Oh and I'll have you know most people think I am _very_ funny. I do own a joke shop after all."

"Co-own" she corrected.

"Whatever. Freddy and I are practically one in the same."

She stiffened "Not to me"

"I suppose that's one of the reasons he likes you so damn much" She could feel heat rush to her cheeks and hoped he would dismiss it as the cold.

"Fred?" the two turned around to find Ron standing in the doorway of the quidditch shop, bag in hand.

"George" The twin corrected, and looked down at Hermione with a questioning look.

She gave the slightest of head shakes and turned to Ron once more "Do you think we could go ahead to the Three Broomsticks. It's pretty cold out here."

His brother spoke before he got the chance "Why don't you two come to the shop first. I think Freddy would love to see you two."

Ron shrugged "I suppose, do you mind Hermione?"

"Sure" she said uneasily, George was smirking and she didn't think she wanted to know what he was playing at.

They followed the older man to his joke shop. He held open the door and Hermione entered. Of course the first thing her eyes landed on, in the mass of students, was Fred."

"Herms!" he exclaimed coming from around the counter. One of their hired workers (she thought her name was Emilia) rushed forward to take over register duty.

They pushed their way through the throng of kids to meet him by the storage room door. By now he had seen Ron and looked much less enthused than when she came in. They all entered the store room, George closing the door behind them to shut off the noise from outside.

"Wow, that's a perfect silencing charm" she commented.

"We do tend to impress once in a while" Fred said. "What are you lot doing here, where's Harry?"

"He had to run an extra quidditch practice for the new beaters" saying it out loud now sounded much dumber than when she had heard it before "They just don't compare to the old ones" she finished, hoping it came out nicer.

"Ah, well why don't you two come up for a bite to eat?" George asked.

"We sort of had plans to get butterbeers at the broomsticks" Ron said.

"But you two could join us" She interrupted.

Hermione could feel the look her friend was giving her, but chose to ignore it.

Fred looked at his watch "Sorry, it's not my Saturday off" he said glaring at George. "I have to get back in there and help deal with the crowd"

"But I'd love to come" George mentioned.

"Alright then lets go"

* * *

He had known the situation would be a little awkward, but at the same time he'd thought it was only Hermione and his brother. Surely the three of them could carry comfortable conversation.

Apparently not. He kept asking questions, trying to make jokes, but George was only smiling (in a way that made him a little apprehensive about continuing to drink his butterbeer) and Hermione kept answering in those annoying little short responses.

It was strange. Maybe she was still trying to forgive him, which was understandable, but he had the sinking feeling she didn't like talking around George.

"Well I'm going to pay and use the restroom" He said, finally breaking the silence. He was already three glasses in and really had to pee.

"No, no let me pay" George said stopping him as he stood.

Heat rushed to his cheeks "I can pay" he said defensively.

"Please Ronnie," The older Weasley said pressing a bag of coins into his hand "I don't want to be using Mum and Dad's money for my butterbeers anymore"

He clenched his jaw and walked away.

"So you're on a date with Ronniekins after all" George said the moment his brother was out of hearing range.

"It's not a date" she spat back at him "Ron and I have been friends much longer than I've been romantically involved with Fred. Sometimes friends go out for drinks"

"I can assure you he does not see it the same way you do" he said watching his brother throw the pouch to the bar maid, not bothering to collect the change either- _that bastard._ "He has been glaring at me since I showed up, and he was embarrassed to take money from me. He wanted to pay for _your_ drink."

She scoffed "He wanted to apologize to me for the way he has been acting recently, this is actually the first day I've even spoken to him in weeks"

"Really, I find it interesting that Harry's not here to buffer then" George said swigging that last bit of his drink.

"I told you he had to run a spare quidditch practice"

The twin leaned forward, the same smirk she so often saw on Fred spreading through his features. "And you don't think a boy would tell his friend to stay away when he has plans to woo a bird. I've hidden away a hundred times so Fred could flirt with a bird."

"Oh thanks for that bit of information, makes me feel a lot better" she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

George had the decency to frown and sit back "I'm just saying, you need to make sure my brother gets the message that you don't see him that way, or if you do-"

"I'd never-" she began, but he cut her off.

"If you do, then break up with Fred. He likes you a hell of a lot already. I'd hate to see what it would do to him if you left him for Ron now, let alone in six months."

"I wouldn't do anything like that to either of your brothers, or your family." She said softly.

"Good" he said shoulders relaxing.

There was silence for a moment before she mentioned "Harry wouldn't have stayed away for Ron. I told him about who I was seeing just the other day."

"But did he seem happy about that"

The witch deflated "No, he really didn't"

"Harry is a loyal person, and I'm not saying you two aren't close, but Ron's his best mate and I think out of my two brothers he'll be rooting for Ron."

"Merlin, what's with this fucking 'rooting' system. Why can't I, as the person this whole incident is about just decide for myself."

He laughed a little "I've never heard you say 'fuck' before" She glared at him "But seriously, I agree, but I also see the other side of the argument. We're all brothers and for one of us to snag a girl that one of the others had shown a clear interest in… well, it's a little back-stabby."

Before Hermione could retort that it was awfully sexist the other way around Ron was walking up to their table.

"Ready to head back Mione"

She actually needed to buy a few things from town, but was also fairly sure that if she walked halfway back to the castle with him and acted as though she forgot he would let her go alone. "Yes"

* * *

The shop was emptying out quickly. Likely because all students had to be back to the castle by five, but he wasn't complaining. Fred had been on his feet all day, and his twin had disappeared hours ago. All he wanted to do was lye on the couch and listen to the weird sisters until he had to make dinner.

Actually he wanted to lye on the couch with Hermione on top of him. Then have her sit on the counter as he made dinner. Merlin's pants he missed her when she was at school, and seeing that glimpse of her this afternoon when she went off for drinks with both his brothers had just been teasing. Plus it meant he wasn't likely to see her again this weekend. She'd be too tired tonight, and would use tomorrow to 'catch up' on schoolwork. Sometimes he wondered why he had to date a girl who was so put together and responsible, then she would come over and he'd remember.

Hopefully he'd get an owl from her saying when she planned to come over next, and his brother would surely tell him what happened at the broomsticks. Until then, he trudged up the steps to his flat and patted his jacket in search of his wand to open the door.

"Are you looking for this?" He whipped around to find none other than Hermione standing in front of him, wand in hand.

"Where was that" he asked laughing as he took in the sight of her heat flushed cheeks and hair dotted in snow.

"I watched it fall out of your pocket as I followed you back here" she shrugged.

He only grinned and took his wand from her to unlock the door.

The duo entered the apartment and Hermione dropped her bag and hung her coat. He watched smiling, he was happy to see her already so comfortable in his home. Which was still a weird thought in itself. Having a home indicated you were an adult, and despite running a shop and knowing to cook, Fred never felt further from being grown up.

"Didn't think I'd see you for the next few days" He mentioned pulling off his suit jacket.

"Well I can't stay for long. I didn't use the tunnel and they need me back in an hour to cross my name off the list" she said walking past him into the kitchen. The witch jumped for a glass and he looked on in amusement as she stared at it for a minute.

"What is it?" he asked with laughter.

"I just realized I could have used magic to get it down" she answered "I'm still caught up in my muggle habits"

"That's not a bad thing. You got it down just the same."

"Yeah well, I thought so too, but the older I've gotten the more people I've found laughing at me." She said frowning. "It's stupid I know, but sometimes it makes me feel like a fool."

"You do realize you're the brightest witch of your age"

She gave give a small smile of thanks before turning to pour the water from the pitcher they left on the counter.

"I wanted to talk to you just for a few minutes before going back to the castle."

"Yeah that's fine but uh where's my brothers"

She let out a long sigh "Ron's headed back to the castle, I convinced him to go on while I finished my shopping, as for George- I have no idea, he's a grown man"

"So what did you want to say."

"First: I told Harry because he really wanted to know why I kept borrowing the cloak. Second: I'm speaking to Ron again since he broke up with Lavender, and third: I'm scared Ron thinks that I'm interested."

"Why would he think that"

"Because when he took me out for butterbeers it sounded like he got rid of Harry on purpose for the day, and he was pissed by George being there."

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a breath "I don't think this is going to pan out well whatever we do love."

"You're right" she said eyes staring into her glass. "But I do have some good news. Do you have next Saturday off."

"Yeah, its George's day" He said exited.

"There's a match going on that morning, so the halls should be empty enough for me to get out of the castle. We can have the whole day together"

He didn't think he's stopped smiling since he saw her, but he was positive his grin grew "It's a date"

* * *

 **Disclaimer: (I keep forgetting these) I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

 **Please review**

 **Love you guys,**

 **Mel**


	6. Chapter 5

Birthday Present: Chapter 5

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open on Sunday morning to the sight of Paravati standing over her bed, silhouetted by the incoming morning light. The girl had pulled her curtains open and did not look happy.

"What do you think you're doing"

"Well I was trying to sleep" she mumbled "I had a bit of a long night and it's only" she looked over at her muggle clock "Six Forty-Seven"

"Yes I'm sure you had a long night with Ron in a cupboard" the twin hissed down at her.

"No actually I was in the library, and then I had prefect duty if you must know"

She snorted "That's believable, because you definitely weren't hanging off of him on the trip to Hogsmeade."

"I went with him, because he is my friend. We even spent the majority of our time with his brother" She was getting really tired of having to explain her friendships.

"Well explain that to Lav" she quipped "Because I don't thinks she is ever going to leave myrtles bathroom."

Hermione rolled over and pulled her blankets up.

* * *

"How was your day with Ron"

At the sound of Harry's voice the witch looked up and gave him her best glare. "It would have been better had you been there" she said with all the venom of a slytherin.

"I had quidditch practice"

"Sure you did Harry"

He flopped next to her on the common room couch "Oh alright, Ron really wanted the day with you."

"Yes I could tell from the way everyone seems to think it was a date"

"That's nothing new for you though is it, don't you remember all the articles skeeter wrote in fourth year."

She groaned "That doesn't make it any less bothersome, especially when _he_ thought it was going to be like a date"

"He as in Ron?" She nodded. "He doesn't think it was a date, actually he came back to the castle very upset"

"Yes well that might be because George joined us for lunch, and I ditched him halfway to the castle to go back and buy a few things."

Harry shrugged before saying "Really Hermione, would it be that bad if it was a date?"

Her face flared in anger "Yes because if you don't remember what we discussed the other day I'm already dating someone."

"Yes, but…" He trailed "You and Fred really? I just don't understand it."

"And why not?" Hermione asked defensively, happy the common room was deserted and no one would hear their conversation.

"Just think about it" He said shaking his head "To begin he's your best friends older brother, he's two years your senior, and you spent the majority of time in school with him yelling at him. He's a goof and a troublemaker and you're put together, organized."

Hermione swallowed and sat back "Harry why do you think you like Ginny?"

She watched him sputter a moment, cheeks tinged with red. "I- I don't"

"It's because she's so opinionated and outspoken, you're not like that, but you like it on her"

The witch watched her friend stare into his lap as he twisted his hands together. He gave a small nod and sighed.

"Among other things, but yeah I get your point"

"Plus Fred is a lot more than most people see, his products are really ingenious and he sees _me_ for more than most people do." She said softly "I really like him and I kind of need you to help me. You can't be giving Ron bad ideas or helping him try to get me alone."

"Alright Mione"

* * *

"I think the best course of action would be to rip off the band- aid brother"

"What?" Fred asked his twin incredulously.

George swung his coat on and said "I told you what Ron was doing on Saturday and I've been thinking about it. You need to go ahead and tell everyone"

"Why would we do that? As it is everyone who knows is alright with what's going on and Hermione and I get to enjoy living. When we tell the family there will be yelling and fits thrown; mum will be upset. Ron will be upset and someone is likely going to ask, 'well how is she getting out of Hogwarts' and then she'll get cut off and in trouble for breaking the rules." He ranted.

"Okay" His brother conceded "Maybe not today, but you need to tell them before the school year ends"

He continued wrapping the food waiting for George to explain.

"I mean, just think about what's coming. I know it doesn't seem like it some days if you can avoid the papers but we are on the precipice of war. Don't you want everyone to know in case something happens."

Fred tensed and turned to look at his brother, "What do you mean?"

"Think about it Freddy, if I get hurt no one is going to question you and try to stop you from getting to me in Mungos, especially if its ….serious." He teetered "But if Hermione gets hurt and no one knows about the two of you, no one is going to be making room next to her bed for you."

"I don't want to think about that George, she's a good fighter she won't get hurt" He said it, but his mind was already reeling. She was a good fighter- but she was also one of the golden trio, and a muggleborn. After Harry, she had the biggest target on her head.

"Alright don't think about that part, but even if somehow the war gets pushed back- do you think you two won't be found out over summer. She's going to be staying with Mum and Dad for the better part of it and it won't be easy for her to leave the burrow and come here without an explanation."

He nearly slammed the lasagna pan down "I don't want to think about this right now Gred. Alright? I just want to go to mum's and have a quiet dinner like we do every Wednesday without having all this in the back of my head."

"Fine, I'm going to pick up Ang, see you there" And with that his twin apparated away.

* * *

"He _asked_ you to do that?" Ron asked bewildered.

She wished she could say she had seen this coming far better than Ron, but Hermione recognized that recently she'd been pretty absent minded around Harry and the things he told her. She'd known that he'd been meeting with Dumbledore, and after his first meeting she had paid a lot of attention to what he had to say, but past that she couldn't give a lot of details. Especially since most of the time she was around Harry, Ron had been close by and she could only stomach watching so much snogging a day.

Now that he was free of Lavender it was much easier to sit with her friends. Something she felt guilty about admitting.

Still she feigned cool indifference "How do you plan to do it?"

Harry shrugged "I dunno, ask him. That sounds like what Dumbledore had in mind"

"Yes but if Dumbledore had to ask you to do it instead of himself, it means he think you'll be more persuasive."

Ron snorted "You need to do even better than usual in his class the next week, soften him up"

She crinkled her nose, but said nothing about Slughorn's prominent favoritism for her friend. It was mostly due to the book, she knew, and there was no chance in getting him to give that up.

"I think I'm just going to stay after potions tomorrow to ask him" Harry said looking through the half-blood prince's notes. "If it doesn't work, I can always keep trying"

"Hey do you know if Katie's out of the hospital wing yet" Ron asked changing the subject.

Harry shook no "I have no idea."

"I heard she was getting better" she mentioned, watching her friend flip through his potions book.

"Mione"

She turned from her seat on the couch to look at the youngest Weasley.

"We're talking Gin" Ron snapped.

She only rolled her eyes and continued looking at Hermione "I really need help studying for transfiguration. I have a quiz tomorrow and there's a paper due in a few days on a concept I still don't understand."

The older witch put away her last book and stood, bag slung over her shoulder. "Let's go to the Library"

"Can I come" her older brother said, standing as well. "There's going to be a charms test Monday and I'm almost failing the class"

"She can help you with that over the weekend" Ginny retorted.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Hermione glaring at her. "How about tomorrow night Ron" she offered.

"Fine" She watched her brother sit back down before walking out the portrait hole.

The fat Lady's portrait swung open before either of them touched it. She froze and watched Dean and Seamus come into the common room. He locked eyes with her for a second, but she rushed passed him, Hermione in tow.

"Why didn't you say anything to him?" Her friend asked once the portrait had shut again.

"We haven't spoken in days" she murmured "I really don't want to talk about it Mione."

* * *

Fred had been seated at a table full of food, starving, for near twenty minutes. It was a half hour ago that George left their apartment to get Angelina, and the two still hadn't arrived. His mum had a strict rule about eating before everyone got to the table, and while he hadn't followed it when they were younger, he was an adult now and trying desperately to prove that to his parents. So he sat there, stomach growling and did his best to listen to his mum prattle and answer all his dads questions thoroughly.

"Now I know that your yo-yo's work a little like a howler, but how do you get them to…." His father trailed at the sound of 'crack' from the living room.

Mum jumped up from her seat just as his twin entered the room. Angelina was walking in front of him, looking hesitant. As expected his mother wrapped her arms around the poor girl and hugged her hard enough to break a rib.

The two sat down and before George could finish saying "Everything smells amazing" Fred had stuffed his mouth full of his mum's mashed potatoes.

"Tastes that way too" he said.

"Don't speak with food in your mouth Fred" His mother reprimanded, and his ears tinged with red. So much for trying to prove he was an adult tonight.

He didn't say anything for the next few minutes. Angelina was providing his parents with a lot more material to prod at and ask questions, and George was offering little comments for his parents to laugh at. He would have joined in usually to help finish the puns or offer support to his jokes, but tonight he was tired, and his twin knew that.

It had been a long week. Hermione hadn't had a free night to come see him since Saterday, and he'd been working every day all day for nearly a week. Tomorrow he had a day off, but yesterday he was supposed to have one as well, but the store had been too busy so he'd had to come in anyhow.

But really a day off the store wasn't usually much for him or his brother. Even if you aren't downstairs helping kids with different products or cashiering, you need to be trying out new items. You need to be testing different potions, measuring their properties against one another, writing down all of their ingredients and keening track of everything.

Hermione made it much easier to do when she was there. He didn't want to say he _needed_ her, but she was definitely a lot of help. It made sense too, Angie helped George when he was doing it. Just having someone there to go behind you, offer little suggestions, and double check everything you've done, it made a big difference.

When they were making products at Hogwarts they used each other for that. They always had the same schedule so they had the same free time. Now it usually worked out that they were both working or one was working while the other was testing. Someone always needed to be down there making sure things ran smoothly, because the second they left someone would set off fireworks or spill the acidic oil all over the floor. It was getting so bad they were considering keeping closed on Wednesdays or Sundays just to have one day out of the week for each other. Now a days they really didn't get much time with each other unless it was in passing, they were working, or they were out with Lee. He missed his brother, even though they lived together.

His sad reveries were interrupted by his dad "Aren't these two wonderful together, now how come you haven't brought anyone home Fred?"

He stared at his father for a few seconds, it was usually his mum that asked those sorts of things. His dad wasn't really one to pry, but one look at Molly and he understood, this had definitely been her doing.

"No one to bring, Dad"

"Oh well that just can't be true" the Weasley mother said "I know you could find someone, you're so charming."

"Ah, it's not really a good time to try and find someone," George interjected, coming to his defense "If I wasn't already with Angie I wouldn't go looking, we are very busy"

"They are" Angie put in "I can testify. It's a hard trying to find time to see one another, and he's still young, it's not like he doesn't have time."

"Thank you" he said to the two but his mother kept on.

"Oh its never a bad time to have someone special. Even if you're busy you need people around you, to support you."

"I have people" he said sitting up in his chair. "I have George, and Lee. I have lots of old friends from Hogwarts. I have all my brothers, and you two" he said gesturing to his parents.

"Of course you do Fred" His dad said sitting up and taking hold of Molly's hand "But your mother and I are just worried because the last few times you've come to see us you've been a little…."

"Agitated" his mum finished "And tonight you've been especially bad"

"Meanwhile George always comes in looking chipper"

He looked to his brother for support, but George only shrugged like he didn't know what to say or do.

"I'm stressed out, we have a new business to run and I work all day Wednesday before I come." He sighed "I'm just tired."

"Now I'm sure the two of you split the workload evenly" He nodded at his father. "All we're saying is that he doesn't seem quite so stressed."

He let out a long sigh. Fred knew there would be a million more of these conversations. But how could he tell them he was stressed because he didn't get to just see his girlfriend whenever he liked, it was a hassle and a secret. But Hermione was worth it. But that didn't help him with his parents.

"I'll think about it" he chugged the last of his pumpkin juice and stood "But right now I think I could fall asleep aparating, so I'm going to take the floo home, and hopefully make it to my bed."

* * *

"Shit" Hermione muttered "Did he really say all that to you"

"Exactly, I was trying to talk him into forgetting it, but he took it the wrong way." Ginny sighed "What do you think he would have done had George not been there"

"I have no idea" she groaned "This is awful, he's my best friend I don't want to lose him"

"I get that Mione, but you need to talk to him. Explain that you're not interested before he finds out about Fred."

"How am I supposed to do that?" she exclaimed, squirming in the uncomfortable library chair. "We just got done rowing over Lavender, I don't want him upset at me again. Merlin knows what we're putting Harry though too" The brown eyed girl added.

"I know that the sound of another row is awful, and your likely going to have another one over summer when he figures the two of you out, but trust me two smalls rows will be a lot nicer than one big one."

"I don't know Gin, I'm not sure he'll get over it if I turn him down without a reason. I've known he liked me for nearly two years now and I've ignored it because he's so self-conscious all the time. It makes sense too, all his brothers have done great things that he feels he has to live up to, and his best friend is the bloody chosen one. I don't want to add gas to the fire." She sniffed "I love him so much, but he's my brother. How do I explain that to him without breaking him"

"Listen to me, if he has time to learn that you will never like him that way he'll get over you some before he learns about Fred. That will make it much better because he'll already have done half the work, then he'll just have to get used to you with one of his brothers."

"And if he feels betrayed" she said staring at the library floor "He's going to know I lied to him. Then he's going to think it's something wrong with him, because I picked his brother."

"He's going to feel that way no matter how this goes" her friend pressed "I just think two small spats would be better than one life altering one. Not to mention if you tell him you don't feel the same way now, then Fred won't have to worry about his little brother cornering you or something, while he's working"

"I need to think about it"

"Do you want me to come with you tomorrow while you help Ron study" the redhead offered lightly.

She sighed "No, I'll be okay."

"Alright" she said and stood "I'm going to start getting my books, I really do have an essay due, but I don't need your help. You can still stay if you'd like to keep me company though."

"I can't. I have to go meet Luna by Hagrids then I need to go send a couple letters off"

"Why are you meeting Luna"

"Hagrid needs help with something that Professor Sprout is supposed to do with him, she offered us extra credit if we went for her" She stood and pulled her cloak and bag off the chair. "I don't really need it, but I figured if anyone else took it they might poke fun at Luna the entire time and I didn't want that to happen."

"Thank you for being so nice to her, I know she gets on your nerves sometimes."

"It's nothing" she muttered "I got to go"

* * *

The owlry was dark and void of students by the time she got up there. Hagrids had taken much longer than she'd expected. Who knew dancing dandelions would require two pairs of hands to pull out of the dirt?

"They'll infest the whole grounds if you don't pull them up, between the dancing and the wind their seeds spread like wildfire" Hagrid had said.

"Why would that be so bad" Luna had asked dreamily staring at one of the dancing little sprouts.

"They get big when there's a lot of them, and they could very easily cover every inch of the grounds. Students wouldn't even be able to walk" he grunted "Then we'd have to wait for winter for them to freeze"

"Then why not just freeze them" She'd asked.

"Well the roots would still be underground, and they might pop back up afterwards, weaker but we'd still have to pull em'. Better to do it right the first time"

Even in the cool April weather the work had been sweaty. She'd taken off her cloak not five minutes in and was only now starting to feel less sticky.

She rummaged through her bag for a moment to pull out the letters. Once she could feel the parchment in her hands she whispered a quick 'lumos'. The wand light lit up the tower and she could suddenly see every pair of eyes, from the school birds.

"Hullo" she said lightly and first unfolded the one addressed to her parents. She always had to read a letter one last time before she sent it, it was a little obsessive, but one of her habits.

This one hadn't been very long and she felt bad. The witch hadn't sent much to her parents the past few months, but only because she had them on her mind _too_ much. Every time she got the _Dailey Prophet_ she thought about her options, what she'd have to risk soon, and every time it made her want to cry in the middle of breakfast.

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_

 _I'm doing well this semester. All my classes are easy enough and I've made up with Ron from the little spat we had. Both he and Harry are doing fine as well. Harry is actually top of the class this year in potions. Our teacher keeps mentioning that he taught Miss Potter as well and she always had a knack for it._

 _I miss you both terribly, and I'm sorry I didn't call you on your birthday mum. I forget to ask my teacher if I could use her fireplace again this year and by the time I remembered it was too late. Oh and by the way, I might be leaving crookshanks with you all for the summer while I'm with the Weasley. I don't think Ron or Mr. Weasley like him much and I don't want to step on their toes._

 _I love you, I miss you. Write back soon._

 _Love, Hermione_

She sniffed a bit at the thought of her parents. She already missed them like there was a hole her heart, and she knew she was going to see them in a few months. What would she do if it came down to it and she had leave them forever.

The witch did her best to stop thinking about it and tied the parchment to one of the school owl's legs.

The next she had was for Fred, she scanned it quickly, but it wasn't much. The whole thing was a couple of scratchy lines explaining that she couldn't come tomorrow night. She folded it once more before a thought danced through her mind. Quickly, she pulled out a quill and wrote one more sentence, blew on it a moment and tied it to another bird. Hopefully she could keep up with the promise she just made.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I Don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

 **AN: I think this is the longest one I've posted, hoping it makes up for the last short one, even if its a little awkward. Oh and heads up- next week's is when the real fun starts.**

 **Review please!**

 **Mel**


	7. Chapter 6

**Birthday Present: Chapter Six**

 **Date: Part 1**

* * *

Nothing she'd tried was working. Not even the bloody cream she used at the yule ball, it had just made her hair look oily. Thankfully a scourgify and drying spell had done away with that. She could have Ginny do something elaborate to distract from the frizz, but then again Fred was probably just going to mess it up, he really liked touching her hair, or tugging on loose curls mid fuck. Either way, she enjoyed it as well.

After another two minutes of messing with it she sighed and put the top half of it in a bun, ran a little coconut oil in the loose strands and left her dorm.

Ron and Harry were already down in the common room, along with half of Gryffindor house. Lots of children were donning blue and black to support their Ravenshaw housemates, others were carrying full on 'Fuck the Snakes" banners. Thankfully both of her friends looked appropriate for the match.

"You look really nice today Mione" Harry said as she met them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, you look phenomenal" Ron agreed "Did you change your mind about coming to the match today?"

"No sorry" she said and gripped her Charms book, as though to emphasize how busy she would be.

"Then why're you all dressed up" He asked eying her up and down.

"Just felt like doing something nice for myself today."

"Oh" he deflated "Well ,we'll see you after the match then, maybe we could study a bit more for the exam Monday" He said with a small glare at Harry, who'd been an unwelcome guest in their session on Thursday night.

"Ah, maybe" she said and sat down on the couch.

Both boys followed the crowd leaving Gryffindor tower and she continued pretending to read her charms book until the portrait door swung closed behind the last student. The witch rushed over to the staircases then and leaned into the boys. You could hear a pin drop it was so quiet, almost unnerving. The tower was only ever this noiseless at 3 in the morning, and even then you could hear faint snores and the footsteps of sleepless kids.

Forgetting her bag and book on the couch, Hermione ran up the boys steps, glad they didn't turn into a slide like the girls. She counted each door until she reached the 6th years. She'd been sure that Harry's bed was the last on the right, but just opening the trunk she knew it was Deans'. She picked another at random to find Nevil's Herbology books. Two more searches later and she finally got the cloak, map, (unfortunately the knowledge that Seamus had a pair of girls panties in his possession), and best of all, the half-blood prince's book.

"He won't miss you for a day" she assured herself and flew back down the steps, the items gripped in her arms.

She ran through the halls, stuffing everything into her bag as she went. The whole castle seemed empty, as though the students had been evacuated. It was one of the strangest and most freeing things she ever felt. She didn't even bother with the cloak.

Four flights later she slowed down. Her chest was heaving and after all, she had time.

Her breath finally evened as she reached the hall the tunnel was on. She rounded the corner smiling, only to walk face first into her favorite teacher.

"Miss Granger" Mc'Gonnigal said once they caught their balance again "I'd say you should watch where you're walking, but I can't say I was doing so myself."

"Sorry" she apologized. "I was wandering"

"I can see that, now why are you still in the castle when it seems every other student is out on the pitch"

"I'm not really invested in quidditch" she offered lamely "Figured I would enjoy the quiet, walk around the castle a bit, get some things done"

"I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as you, so many papers I have to grade today, plus patrolling tonight"

"I'm sorry"

The older witch laughed "It's not your fault." She eyed Hermione's bag a moment "You sure do have a lot with you, what do you have to do exactly"

"A lot of things" she said vaguely "I have letters to send, I need to start a few projects, definitely need to practice that charm you showed us yesterday with the butterflies so I'm probably going to have to go out and see Hagrid for some"

"I thought you did it perfectly yesterday, but if you insist on practicing I will never stop a student from putting in extra" the professor smiled, but still looked at her bag warily "I will see you, Miss Granger"

The two witches walked past another, but a few seconds later she heard the professor call her once more. "Hermione," she turned to face McGonnigal "I do hope that you at least go to the Gryffindor matches"

"I wouldn't miss one for the world"

"Good"

* * *

Fred woke up to the feeling of an intense pounding in the back of his head, and a person crawling atop him. One cracked eye revealed that he was lying on the floor of his dark living room, and it was Hermione sitting on his chest looking down at him.

"Morning"

"Ah shit" he groaned, "Sorry Herms, I didn't think I would drink that much last night, I meant to get up and make breakfast"

"S'alright, I ate at the castle." She leaned forward to reach over his head for something on the coffee table. "I think you need this." The witch said waving a small bottle of hangover potion.

He took it from her gratefully and downed it. "ugh, awful taste. I'd reckon the only thing that tastes worse than that is snapes socks."

His girlfriend rolled her eyes and got off of him "You've never had polyjuice"

"No," he said standing, and then "Have you?"

"Second year when I was in the hospital wing was because I'd drank a bottle of the stuff with cat hair in it instead of human."

"I need further explaination" he said laughing. The two moved into his kitchen and as he made them coffee and eggs she recanted the entire story.

At the end the red haired man could only shake his head in wonder. "How has no one but me ever realized how much of a badass you are"

He watched her smirk in pride and smiled a little bit to himself.

"What do you want to do today love," Fred asked setting down her cup and her egg in front of her.

She hummed in consideration "I dunno, don't you need to be working on products or anything."

"Not really today, but I did get your letter. What ingenious thing were you talking about"

The brown eyed witch jumped off her barstool and went into the living room, a moment later she returned, holding up a book in clear view.

"You know I already did read our sixth year potions textbook, I may not have been a good student but I did that much"

"Then you did more than Ron" she scoffed "This isn't just a textbook, this is Harry's textbook and it has singlehandedly made him the best at potions in our grade. His marks are even better than mine"

"What makes it so magical?" he asked "Apart from the fact that its magical"

She set the book down on the counter in front of him and opened it "It has notes on every page" Hermione pointed to the margins "How to enhance some potions, it gives completely different instructions for some, tells you what instructions you can skip because it won't make any difference in the end, it even has a few original spells."

He took hold of the book and began turning the pages himself. She was right, the notes were brilliant, he even saw a couple of things he had learned through the past year creating products.

"Where did Harry get this?"

"Slughorn gave it to him on accident, I told him to give it back, but he won't listen to reason." She huffed.

"And so you brought it here for me to use"

She tutted at him "It's not like you can use it to cheat in class anymore."

"Won't harry need it though, or notice its missing."

Instead of replying Hermione acciod her bag and pulled out a large stack of parchments and one of their spell check quills from the shop. He watched as she placed the book next to it and muttered "Lorem Ipsumsite"

The quill stood up on its own and began scratching away at the parchment. He leaned over to read what it was saying and then looked at the first page of the text book. They were exactly the same, word for work, even the handwriting looked the same.

"Where'd you learn that?"

"The professors use it for making tests and papers. I just find that your quills are much more durable, and more exact under this spell as opposed to the normal ones" She said poking at her egg "It even keeps the same handwriting as the original, regular quills tend to made it messy and have a lot of ink blotches."

He continued watching the quill, mesmerized by both her abilities and the things the quill was writing. She stabbed her yoke and he asked "How long is it going to take?"

"Usually it only takes about an hour when I use it, but this is very large textbook and it has all of the notes in the margins. It could easily take until eight" she explained shoveling in the fried egg "Mmm, better than hogwarts" he heard her mumble.

"Well we certainly have time, so I repeat my question; what would you like to do?"

She sipped her coffee and looked up at him. "What do we usually do Fred?"

"I would love to have sex with you all day, but we actually have time to have a proper date instead of just snogging and testing my products. What do you usually do in your spare time at Hogwarts?"

She thought about it for a moment "I read, take a walk, or I go with Ron and Harry to the kitchens for food."

"Do you want to walk?" He asked coming behind her barstool and placing his hands on either side of the counter to rest his head on her shoulder.

"I do, but if I'm recognized outside Hogwarts, we could get caught"

The twin huffed before his face lit up "Then we can walk in the muggle world."

"What?" she said eyes bulging as she turned to look at him "Are you serious, I think it's bad enough I left Hogwarts to come here."

"Oh come on Herms, from everything you've told me, you've broken much bigger rules before and gotten away with it. Besides I've only ever been in the muggle village near the burrow."

"I don't know Fred, it's been years since I spent a lot of time in muggle London, we could get lost" despite what she was saying, Fred could see the look on her face. The idea exited her.

"I have a good sense of direction" he whispered "Come on, part of dating a Weasley twin is getting yourself in trouble."

"I already do that with your siblings" she muttered "Alright, we should be okay."

"You'll be fine, I won't let anything happen."

"My dad used to work there" she said pointing across the road. "When I was really little, before my mum graduated school. Once she had they opened their own profession. We moved to the suburbs. I barely remember it."

"You said they fix teeth." He asked eying the building she'd gestured to. It didn't look much different than the others around it. Everything actually looked really similar. Sometimes wizarding shops were like that, but for the most part you could look at a place and figure out what it was, here he was lost.

"Yeah, because muggles don't have spells that just about anyone could learn you have to go to school for years to learn how to do it, like a mediwitch. Then people come to you, specifically for their teeth issues."

He scrunched his brow "That's weird, mediwizards can fix anything."

"Well that's because there's a lot less to learn." She continued explaining "The mouth is a really complex thing and when you don't have 3 basic spells that will fix just about anything wrong with it"

"So they do special medical fields for every part of the body?"

"Pretty much" she said still looking at the building as people pushed past them on the sidewalk "There are doctors for backs, feet, skin, the heart, even ones especially for children"

"That's actually really neat" she looked up at him surprised "Well, if you don't want to be dealing with peoples feet all day, choose something you're interested in."

She laughed. "Not how most people look at it, but yeah I suppose you're right" Hermione took his hand and began leading him farther down the road.

"What did you want to be, before you found out you were a witch." He questioned as they walked.

"Actually, right before I got my Hogwarts letter I became infatuated with the idea of becoming an architect- they design buildings" she said before he could ask. "A month later I found out I had magic and it went mostly forgotten. Then summer came and my parents asked if that's still what I wanted to do" she continued laughing at her own story "And I didn't know if there was a wizard version, so I searched forever only to end waiting for school to start so I could ask Mc'Gonnigal."

"Did she know what you were talking about?"

"No, she looked about as confused as you do. So I explained what their job is and she told me there were spells to create instructions for structures based on the persons desires for what they wanted their building used for."

"Yeah, most of the time they work perfectly"

She scoffed "Most of the time, I haven't encountered a wizarding building yet that wasn't perfect for its purpose."

"Well they can get screwed up" the red head explained "If you use them multiple times on one building. Why do you think the burrow is so messy. Mum and dad kept expanding."

"What did you want to be when you were young?" the witch questioned and sped up her pace, they were nearing the park, and she hadn't been since she was ten.

"Well, since we got to Hogwarts George and I had it in our heads to do something with our inventions, something to make people laugh. Before that though Bill and Charlie would come home and tell us what they were thinking about going into, so for a while I wanted to be a Metal Charmer, that was one of Bills top choices, but his marks weren't high enough"

"Wow, why did you want that, what made it sound so fun"

"To begin with, you get to work with goblins. They mold the metal and you cast the spells on it. They make a lot of money too, and I would be lying if I didn't say part of it was because I wanted to beat Bill. It made me think I'd be the golden child."

"So you didn't always want to work with George"

"Not when I was younger than say 8, it just didn't cross my mind, but we got it in our heads pretty early on that we'd work together. That's why I forgot the idea in the end, first year I was working hard to get the marks for it, but George wasn't interested so I let it go"

"Wow," Hermione said "Not that I don't think your job now isn't perfect. I love what you do and it takes a lot of work and brain, but think about if you hadn't forgotten it. You probably would have turned out more like Percy."

"Oh please don't make me vomit" he said as she began leading him onto grass.

"I don't mean you'd be a prick, just that you'd be very different."

"No I wouldn't" The wizard insisted "Even if I had kept it up for a couple years, eventually one of the teachers would have explained to me I just didn't have the grades."

"I doubt that, you could have made perfect marks had you applied yourself some more. If I do remember correctly you did nothing for potions because you hated Snape and still made top marks in your class"

"And who told you that" he said jokingly appalled "I have a reputation to uphold as a foolish prankster. I can't have anyone going around tell people how intelligent I really am."

"Your mum was sad last summer, because of what you'd chosen to do. Then Ginny started on a rant about how smart you two were and how horrible Umbridge was and how if she had only had a few months left she would have done the same." Hermione laughed "I don't think I've ever seen your mum more shocked."

"Glad to know my baby sister is defending us" He looked around and saw that Hermione was leading him farther into a park, there were less people here, and it was a lot quieter. He didn't have to yell to her over passersby.

"I know you're not supposed to have favorites in family, but I also know you two are her favorite brothers"

"Really? I always thought it was Bill or Charlie, the way she obsesses when they come to visit."

"Only because they aren't always around, but you two are who she looks up to. She brags on the both of you, told me you were the reason she had such a good bat bogy hex."

"Taught her that in our fifth year" he said cackling, "That summer she told us no Slytherins ever picked on her or her friends anymore"

"She really loves you"

* * *

"Sir, I'd like to speak to you"

"Minerva what could possibly worry you so much to pull you out of a match?" The headmaster said dropping treats to his beloved phoenix with his only good hand.

She didn't think twice about the old man's aloof and dismissive behavior. She'd long since learned that it was simply his personality. "I have a strong suspicion that Miss Granger is leaving the grounds on a regular basis." Minerva said with all the authority she could gather.

"I know she is"

That caught the elderly witch off guard "And do you know why? Is she putting herself in danger"

"I know why, and no she is perfectly safe in what she's doing." He assured, standing up straight and glancing at his co-worker.

"Do you plan to stop her" the professor sputtered. She knew he'd let Harry off the hook for stunts like this plenty of times, but Hermione was not the chosen one.

Albus sunk into his desk chair "How do you suggest we do that?"

"Block off the hags passage," she said immediately "We've spoken about doing it for the…. Impending circumstances anyway"

He took a deep breath "Even if we do go through the trouble of closing it off in a way that no student would even know it was there, it won't stop her"

"What could be so important that she would clearly disregard what we've done to keep her safe" she insisted.

"What it is specifically, you shouldn't worry about, however I will tell you that I believe Miss Granger is doing something that will be good for her."

Sometimes she swore he'd gone insane. Allowing students to freely leave the castle at any time they wished was unheard of and ridiculous. Then again, he always surprised her. "And why do you think that"

"There is a war coming, and while Hermione is a very strong witch, she is still young and breakable." He said quietly "She is going to need something to balance out her flaws, lest they turn out to be fatal in the time to come. Something that will make the hard decisions just the slightest bit easier, something that will make her want to push a little more."

The thought of what Hermione had discussed with her as a possibility for her parents danced through her mind. Then came a small realization.

"Would this something perhaps be a someone?"

"Perhaps a someone yes" he said with the same twinkle in his eye that she saw when he spoke of his most beloved students "a someone with a personality humorous enough to keep our serious Miss Granger from cracking."

* * *

"Movie theater" Hermione said automatically as he pointed. "Like a large television, where people go to watch movies."

"Dad has a television in the garage. Hooked it up for us all once, but it made our magic in the den screwy with the electricity. Mum had him take it down by the end of the day."

"I get that, I had an accident a couple years back over at my parents. Everything they have runs on electricity and I got angry at something mum said. I had an accidental magic spat like I was a two year old" she said laughing at herself "I nearly burned the house down."

"Did you get the warning letter from the ministry about how you shouldn't be using magic outside Hogwarts."

"Oh yes, my parents freaked. They thought I was going to be arrested."

"George and I nearly were the summer after first year. Dad took the blame for us, but after that mum would collect our wands when we got home every year."

"Really? I never noticed them not on you"

"Were you paying that much attention to us Granger?" she blushed.

"More than I'd like to admit"

He smiled as they continued on their stroll, and slowed his pace. They had agreed to go back when they got to the leaky cauldron, but he didn't want this to end just yet. "Taking our wands wasn't a big deal, just made us really good at sneaking off with mum or dads, and potions."

The witch looked up at him with a raised brow.

"Ministry can't detect underage potion making so long as all the wand movements are done with an adult wand" he shrugged "We'd take it, do the few steps that required a wand, and return it"

"Clever" she murmured.

"When summer comes, we're coming back here." He said abruptly. "And you are actually going to take me to the places you pointed out. I want to see everywhere you went as a child. I want to understand how you grew up"

"That's a lot of muggle culture," she giggled "Why the sudden interest?"

"I never took a single muggles studies course." He said sighing, he could see the cauldrons sign already, she would have to get under the cloak in a minute "I didn't think it was important, because I didn't think muggles would ever be important. But you know everything about the culture I grew up in"

"Well I've been immersed in it for years now Fred." She offered "I think of it as my culture as well"

"Yes, but I just want to understand better" he said softly "Like the other day when you got the water glass down, it's still part of you. I want to know it" the twin declared, just as she pulled her hand away from his to duck in an alleyway and pull out the cloak.

He followed suit and watched as she wrapped it around her shoulders, concealing all but her head. "That is the sweetest thing a man has said to me in a long time" She leaned up to kiss him.

He pressed forwards into her, closing his eyes. When they separated and he opened them again she had disappeared.

"Let's go on in" she urged, the voice coming from behind him. "I only have you for a day, and I have some things in mind I'd like to do"

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

 **AN: I had a really hard time writing with the professors, but I'm hoping that scene will work out really well for the story later on.**

 **Review please**

 **Mel**


	8. Chapter 7

Birthday Present: Chapter 7

Date: Part two

* * *

"OI"

Hermione startled and jumped back from Fred. He let go of her shirt and turned to face him brother.

"I know it's your date day mate, but I'm working which means I have to come back here," he said slowly gesturing around the storage room, "And I wanted to give you a head's up before I need puking pastils and come back to find you two with much less clothing on"

Her face went red, and she thought for a moment of Ron and Lavender, but then the door shut behind him and Fred was racing up the stairs. She followed close behind, working the buttons of her shirt as she went.

By the time she got to his room (where she assumed he was going considering the pants and shirt lying in the hallway) he was no- where to be seen.

She pulled out her wand and scanned the room, mentally going through a list of curses. It was silent for a moment, and then the sound of rushing water came from his bathroom and she sighed.

The twin appeared in the doorway to his room, looking unscathed, and childishly happy.

"The tub isn't as large as the prefects use, but big enough to fit the both of us" he said and then his eyes found her wand, still held out.

"Just got scared for a moment" she breathed. "I couldn't see you, and it was quiet"

He walked up to her, plucked her wand from her hand and led her into the bathroom, which was already filling with steam. The wizard slowly peeled her out of her muggle clothing, before pulling off his own boxers.

"You need to relax," he whispered in her ear, softly pushing her towards the tub. "And I know exactly what you need to do that"

The witch stepped one foot in, hesitant of the temperature, only to be pleasantly surprised by the warmth that greeted her. He loaned her a hand to help her with the other leg, before sliding in himself. She sighed as he wrapped both arms around her mid- section, pulling the two together. Lips nipped her ear and kissed down her neck, while his hands massaged her chest.

He eased her down into the lather, relishing in the way she squirmed as water hit bare skin.

"Agh, Fred it-" she gasped "it tingles," she went to move her hands into the water, to touch herself, but he caught both her wrists before she could.

"Good, the oil is working"

"Fuck" she muttered twisting in his grasp "Merlin please"

"Please what" he asked smirking into the crook of her neck.

"Touch me" she gasped again and twitched. "It hurts, please"

"Tell me what it feels like love" he said and sucked on her shoulder, just hard enough to leave a purple mark. "Describe it"

Hermione huffed and then "Godric, it's like my it's fallen asleep." She hissed "pins and needles, everywhere down there"

"Can you give me more" the redhead whispered into her ear.

"I- it tickles and itches and burns all at the same time" she answered and then whined "Fred please"

He responded by snaking a hand down her stomach, and allowing two fingers to stroke her lightly. She took the opportunity to grind as hard as she could against his digits. Hands tangled themselves in his hair, and Fred brought one hand from the water to return to her breast.

"Ahhh" Hermione moaned as the oil from the water contacted her chest as well. "Another invention - ahhmmmm – I assume"

"Clever witch" he tweaked a nipple and pulled his hand away a second as she tried to push it into her. "Stand up would you"

"Wha- " she asked as both of his hands abandoned her and pulled her up by the underarms. Fred spun her around to face him and pushed her back to sit on the edge of the tub. Realization dawned on her and she began on her usual rant. "Fred, please you don't have to"

"I want to" he insisted pushing her legs apart. The loss of all contact on her tingling core was torturous, but she focused on the task at hand.

"I really don't see why we need to" she continued, while freckled hands traveled up her thighs. "Lots of guys think its gross and I don't want you to do somthi-"

"I don't think its gross Herms" Fred said cutting her off "Why don't you want to?"

She wiggled, partially from how uncomfortable the whole situation was and partially from the relentless pressure building in her stomach. "It just makes me uncomfortable"

"It shouldn't" he said moving forward "this part is all about your pleasure"

"I just don't…."

"Shhhhh, if you don't like it after 2 minutes" The pureblood offered "Just say so and I stop"

She squeezed her eyes closed and gripped the edge of the tub with her hands "Alright" the brown haired girl relented.

He started with just a thumb, running up and down her slit, flicking her clit, and dipping into her for just a second. After a minute his finger stopped, and then she could feel breath on her hair. It sent shivers down her spine and made her breath hitch.

"Relax" he breathed, rubbing the goosebumps on her legs.

His hand returned, lightly touching her as his mouth trailed kisses down her stomach and naval, occasionally licking and sucking. She jerked once, and bit her lip. Red hair tickled her as he moved down. When lips finally landed on her clit, sucking hard, her eyes flew open.

"Merlin!" she shouted. Her left leg twitched hard enough Fred felt the need to use one hand to hold it down.

"No just me" he said chuckling before diving back into her, tongue exploring every place it could reach.

His fingers pumped in and out of her, and his tongue made circles against her clit. She was doing her best to stop squirming, but the oil made everything tingle, the more he worked the worse it got, the worse it got the hotter she felt, and the more she wanted.

Her own hands let go of the ledge. One twisted in his hair and the other grasped at her chest, trying to relieve the tingling in her breasts. The witch couldn't help but look down at him. His hair was damp and matted in some areas, but still a vibrant red amongst the lavender bubbles. She could see down his back like this, every freckle that dotted pale skin. Ginny always complained that her family carried such a gene, but right then Hermione was thanking Godric, Merlin, and Morgana for it. The sight of broad shoulders and a lean back in this position was possibly the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. It wouldn't be the same without the freckles, it just wouldn't.

His tongue made a sudden push inside her, and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. It was a pathetic attempt to stifle herself "Freeeeddd" she whimpered.

He chuckled and she was rewarded with the wonderful feeling of short breaths being pressed into her.

"Should I stop?" he questioned looking up at her with a smirk on his face.

She jerked his head back to where it had been and yelped "No!"

"Are you sure?" he asked licking her twice "The two minutes I asked for are defiantly up" Another lick.

"For fucks sake Fred, please keep going" As soon as the words left her he enveloped her with his whole mouth. He sucked and pushed inside with his tongue. She screamed, euphoria ripping through her while his hand reached up to grope her other breast. Both legs were twitching and she said his name on repeat.

When she was quiet, and had stopped moving, Fred stood.

"Didn't I tell you, you would like it?" He said leaning against the tub on either side of her.

"I thought it was gross" she defended, breathless from what had just happened "But now I see what girls like about it"

"Well you also had me" he said proudly "Don't expect such a wonderful performance from anyone else"

"Wouldn't want to try it with anyone else" she smiled and gripped him by the back of his thighs "Do you want me to return the favor." Her hands traveled up to grab at his backside. Merlin did she love his bum.

"Not right this moment." He said pecking her on the cheek "I'd rather get to wash you up, make lunch, and then have a bit more fun"

"So we're going to get clean, ignore your hard on for several hours, and get sweaty again" she said with a raised eyebrow in that little-miss-know-it-all tone.

"We can shower before dinner as well" he told her, tugging on a curl. "I like having you in here anyway, and as for me. I'd go for a blowjob, but that's not what I really want and considering what we just did I didn't want to tire you out."

"Or you just want to make sure you can get it up again later" the witch supplied "Should I start calling you grandpa"

"Cocky little witch" he said lifting her by the hips to pull her into the water "you know very well how easily I can pull it back up"

"Do I?" she laughed, and then he pushed her down against him and she gasped "no- don't"

"Still sensitive aren't you?" the wizard whispered.

"Shut it"

"I was trying to look out for you and you teased me" he continued his tip pushing up on her entrance "You only make me more randy when you tease"

"Fred stop," she begged "Everything down there hurts, I'm still too tender"

He pulled her farther up his lap, to sit above his problem. "I told you" he repeated, pulling the soap towards him.

She watched as he lathered his hands and began on her shoulders and neck.

"How does the oil work?" she questioned, looking at his face as he rubbed deep into her biceps. "Everything stopped tingling"

"It stops once you've orgasmed" he explained, moving down her right arm.

"So are you tingling" the girl questioned sitting up.

"No, we made one that reacts on females and another that reacts on males, you can use them both together, but I wanted this to be about you"

She watched in fascination as his brow scrunched, concentrated on massaging her hand. "You always do that"

"What?" he questioned, releasing her hand to begin with the other.

"Make it about me. This all started with a silly accident on my birthday, and you always focus on me"

He looked up at her and opened his mouth to say something, but then a thought occurred to her "What day is it?"

"April 29th" he said hoping to be inauspicious, but the look on her face told him she knew.

"Your birthday is tomorrow" she breathed eyes going big "Why didn't you remind me."

"Frankly, I was hoping you wouldn't remember" he responded not looking her in the eye.

"Why not?" She demanded and then "Oh why did I come today, I should have snuck out early tomorrow so I could see you"

"It's okay, I have to work tomorrow night and likely need to go to my parents for lunch. Mum will have a fit if she can't see us on our birthday"

"I still should have tried to see you then" Hermione whispered "I didn't even get you anything, I feel awful"

"I didn't get you anything on yours"

"Fred the entire reason we began dating was because of your present to me"

"Love, that is very much my present as well as yours" he assured. "And you're here today. We went on a real date, you brought me that potions book" the redhead listed "I'm perfectly happy with what you've given me already."

She gave a weak smile that suggested she was still upset with herself. "Don't think you're getting away with this next year."

He pushed back the thought that asked _'Will we be here next year'_ and smiled at her.

* * *

The match had lasted far longer than anyone expected. It was dark out by the time they ended, but worth it for what they had seen. Slytherins always had a tough team, but recently Ravenclaw had kicked off two chasers, and their keeper in favor of newer better players. Harry also found out from Luna that their captain had been working them day and night all week for this match.

The new chasers had certainly done the trick for ravenclaw. They were constantly 170, 160 points ahead. Which resulted in the slytherin beaters having to work overtime trying to stop the other seeker, leaving the chasers unguarded and free to gain even more points. The game only came to an end when one of the slytherin chasers was injured, and they fell so far behind that their seeker gave in and caught the snitch, regardless of the fact that they lost the game.

"It was like the cup all over again" Ron shouted to him as they traveled in the pack of students heading to the great hall for supper. Everyone was starved and plenty of children were shoving each other to get through.

"I'm going to head to the common room" He yelled back. "I've got candy up there and I'll come down to the kitchens later for real food"

"Alright mate" His friend said as he walked away "I'd come with, but I want to see if Mione's there, or if I need to bring her something in the library"

He nodded, sure that Ron was not going to find Hermione, but only continued on his way.

The halls back to the tower were desserted. But that's what he had been hoping for, he had a 2 foot long assignment due for snape Monday, and had been putting it off. He would need the quiet.

He was just reaching the fat Lady's portrait when he heard Ginny's voice. The green eyed boy looked around, searching for her, but couldn't find her on any of the staircases surrounding him.

"You barely said two words to me the entire game, and you're mad at me for avoiding you" he heard her scream. His body froze waiting to see who she was rowing with.

"S'not like you were keeping up a conversation" Deans voice rumbled, clearly not as upset as his girlfriend sounded. "You've been acting weird lately,"

"I've been acting like I always do, you're the one that's been looking at me weird." She huffed.

"Well it's a bit awkward now isn't it" he hissed so low Harry strained to hear.

"I don't see why you can't get over it, we stopped didn't we"

"But you lied to me, I was about to go through with it and you weren't going to say anything, I had to ask" he snapped.

"And I told you the truth when you did, it's not like I was keeping the information from you. I just didn't think it was something that was important."

"Of course that's important, what girl doesn't think that's important"

"I don't think like other girls," she screeched "I didn't think it was important, and I still don't."

"I'm not sleeping with you gin," he said quietly "I can't do it"

"If the situation was the other way around would you"

"We need to break up"

"You would," she accused "You would, and wouldn't think twice about it because I'm the girl and for guys virginity isn't something to think twice about unless their thirty and still haven't lost. But for girls it has to be this big deal and when you lose it your ruined forever and you'll always be in love with the guy who did it"

"Ginny"

"It's bullshit, it's all bullshit. How many girls around this school do you see moping around over the first guy they slept with."

"It doesn't matter. I know the facts, and I know it's bullshit, but I can't do it"

"Get the fuck away from me"

Harry heard footsteps then and had sense enough left in him to go through the portrait hole.

* * *

"This book is ingenious" George said, flipping through the pages of the rewritten version.

Hermione took a second to swallow her chicken before speaking "Isn't it, my only concern is why the staff never found it. I don't think any other student has used it since the prince. And the handwriting just looks…."

"Familiar" Fred finished for her. "That was my first thought when I saw it"

"Yeah" she agreed. "But I can't figure out whose."

"Does it matter?" the other twin cut in "Whoever it is clearly doesn't miss their book since they just turned it back in at the end of the year."

"Yes, but who would give themselves a title like that- the half blood prince" a shiver ran through her spine "Sounds eerily like something You-Know-Who would do"

"Well if it was him, or one of his followers more likely, I say there's just that more reason for us to use it."

"What? Some of those spells are questionable" the witch admonished "I've found more than a few simply labled: For enemies, for trouble"

"Exactly wouldn't it be brilliant if we could study them, use them against the dark side, and figure out the best way to block them, in case the person who wrote them shared with his friends."

"You're too smart for your own good Weasley"

"Thank you" both brothers said at the same time.

* * *

"Harry! Harry!" he yelled running into the common room, still holding all the food he collected from dinner in a napkin "Have you seen her?" He asked as his friend turned to look at him from the couch.

"Who?"

"Hermione of course, has she gone up to the girls dorms or been here at all"

The green eyed boy had a grim look on his face as he shook his head "Not that I've noticed"

"I need the map to look for her" he said, already making his way to the stairs "It's in your trunk right"

Harry jumped up from the couch to follow his friend. As they raced up the steps he said "Possibly, I lose it a lot"

Ron shot him a questioning look "I've never heard you lose it before, besides you've been stalking Malfoy haven't you"

"Actually I've got dobby on that duty now" He'd had to figure out a new method since the map proved useless most of the time and Hermione was using it so much.

"I've searched everywhere, all over the grounds, the library, the kitchens, Hagrid's. I can't find her anywhere mate" he huffed as they climbed on.

Ron shoved open the door to their dorm and immediately went to his trunk. Harry watched in pain as the red head searched for several minutes "The map isn't here" he said and then "Neither is the cloak or your potions book"

The first two items were a usual for him to find gone, but the last shocked him "What?" he said coming up to root through his things for himself.

He was right, they were all gone. He sat on his knees for a moment. What could Hermione possibly want with the book, she hated it.

"Who do you think took them?"

His friend's question pulled him out of his thoughts "I think I remember leaving the book in the library now that you mention it" The chosen one stood "And I'm pretty sure Mione took the other two"

"Why would she do that?" Ron asked as Harry walked to the door to go to the kitchens, so he could tell Ron later he had gone to the library to fetch his book.

"Maybe she wanted some quiet time for herself today" he said shrugging.

"But why 'de she need the map?" The older wizard insisted.

"Probably because she didn't want either of us tracking her down and disrupting her mate" He said tiredly and slammed the door to the dormitory as he left.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

 **AN: My next update will be either a few days early or a few days late. I'm going on a cruise so internet connection is going to be iffy.**

 **Review please!**

 **Mel**


	9. Chapter 8

**Birthday Present: Chapter Eight**

 **Date: Part Three**

* * *

"This" he said putting the record in "was one of mum and dad's favorite songs. We listened to it constantly when we were kids"

A soft melody began playing, and after a long period of violin and piano it stopped. She watched in fascination as Fred tensed in the few quiet moments then let out " _Hai ragione anche, tu cosa voglio di piÃ_ " right along with the singer and she let out a laugh.

"What?" he demanded as the music continued ' _un lavoro io l'ho, una casa io l'ho'._

"I wasn't expecting it to be in another language" she said watching him rock back and forth to the beat. His eyes were closed and he was clearly enjoying the melody.

"My parents vacationed in Italy on their honeymoon. So a lot of their favorite things are Italian" He explained eyes opening to look at her. "I should ask to borrow the cookbook they got there. Mum would never let me keep it, but maybe you could show me that spell….." He trailed as the fireplace went up in green.

Her eyes went wide and she stood to make a dash out of the room, but the first thing Arthur Weasley saw was her, and there was no mistaking the recognition in his eyes.

"Hermione" he said in surprise, the older wizard was holding a glass pan, and looking flustered enough as it was. "What are you-" he stopped himself short at the sight of his son, standing next to the record player in nothing but a pair of muggle shorts.

"Let me explain everything to you Dad." Fred asked slowly, and cut off the player.

"I really don't think you need to." He said looking at Hermione with a look of mixed sadness and pride. "I have to say your mother really wanted it to be Ron, but I knew he wasn't the right son"

She blushed, and was only happy she'd put back on all of her clothes after the bath, unlike her boyfriend. "Are you going to tell her" The witch asked tentitivly.

"Does everyone else know?"

Fred shook his head and listed "George, Ginny, Harry, and Angelina"

"And now you" she added. "We just don't want to upset anyone"

He nodded, tight lipped and said "Yes I understand that, but I would like you to recognize that summer is coming, and you'll have to tell them."

"Trust me dad, we know" The younger Weasley assured, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Arthur walked over to the counter leading into the kitchen and set the plate down. "Your lasagna was delicious Fred." Then he moved back to the fireplace and picked up a pinch of floo powder.

"Dad" he called, and the balding man looked back at him "You really won't tell mum"

"I won't" He promised and turned to leave again, before thinking better of it "You two are dating correct this isn't just a….."

Hermione didn't think it was possible for her face to look any more like a tomato. Soon she would pass out from the amount of blood in her head.

"Of course not" She said at the same time as Fred.

"I wouldn't do that to Ron"

She looked over at him in shock, and Arthur left without another word.

Silence. Fred stared at the fireplace and she stared at him.

Finally "This didn't start out as dating" she said.

"Yeah" he answered still not looking at her, "But if it hadn't ended that way I don't think you would have still been seeing me by the end of the year."

"Really? I never took you for the type…"

"I've never had a…. booty call" he sighed "And I don't want to have one ever. I especially would never want one that my little brother had a crush on. I wouldn't do that to him unless I really liked her myself, which would mean we'd have to be…"

"More than sex" she finished for him. "I get it, but I will say, had I not liked you I don't think I would have stopped coming around until you told me to"

Hermione could see that his ears were tinged red "Really?"

"Really"

"Damn, I must be good in bed"

She laughed "The only person I've come for seconds with"

"And thirds, fourths, fifths…." He trailed, smirking.

She started walking towards the bedroom "About to make it somewhere in the twenties" The witch called.

* * *

He fidgeted and Ron shoved him in the back.

"Go mate,"

"I don't see why I have to do it" he hissed back.

"You know why" His friend insisted, and pushed him again in the direction of Lavender and Paravati.

"She's probably with Ginny," Harry whined, knowing full well why neither girl was at breakfast.

"But what if she's not" Ron seethed "What if she's hurt, no one I've asked has seen her in 24 hours."

"Fine" the chosen one mumbled, and stalked off to speak with the two girls.

He got a sharp glare from the dark haired witch immediately. Apparently the anger she had at Ron for breaking her best friend's heart extended to him as well. He couldn't imagine what Hermione had been going through sharing a dorm with her.

Thankfully Lavender looked up and gave him a slow sad smile "Hullo Harry"

"Uh, Hello Lavender. Paravati" he said awkwardly "I came to ask you two a question"

"She didn't come back last night" The darker skinned girl snapped "A lot of the girls think she's with Ginny, poor thing locked the curtains around her bed with a freezing charm, and cried all night"

"Do you think she's with Ginny" he asked. Hopefully she had returned to the castle last night and was with her. That would make it a lot easier to explain to Ron.

"No, I haven't seen her at all." Paravati continued "And from the way she dolled herself up yesterday I'd be asking him these questions" she said looking down the table at Ron, who'd been looking their way himself, and turned away after realizing he'd been caught "My bet would be that they found a comfy broom closet for the night"

He opened his mouth to say that Ron had been the one to send him looking for her, before thinking better of it. Lavender's eyes looked puffy enough as it was so he just said "He has no idea where she went either" and walked off.

"What'de they say" His friend whispered as he took his seat next to him.

"You don't have to whisper" he said and then "They told me she didn't come to the dorm last night but people think she's with Ginny. I think dean and her had a spat or something because she's been crying all night apparently."

Ron's face brightened "That's fantastic" then after a moment he caught himself "Not that she's crying of course, but I never fancied the idea of dean's hands all over my baby sister, and it's good that Hermione's safe and probably comforting her."

"Yeah" he assured "everything is fine" He murmured, more in an attempt to assure himself than his friend.

* * *

"How do you do that" Hermione asked watching as Fred flipped the fifth Fried egg he'd made with ease.

"Lots of practice" he responded smiling "The first few months we lived here every one I made turned into a scramble." She continued watching him, he did almost everything without magic, and it was almost like being home again, watching her mum cook.

Just as the nostalgia started to set in and she was scared she might cry George came in "What the Fuck are you two doing"

He was already dressed for the day and one look a him had Fred jumping away from the stove and pulling Hermione back into his bedroom.

"What-"

"Angenlina's going to be here any minute for breakfast" he answered, throwing her pants from the day before at her "I kind of demanded George get dressed before you saw him, so I think he wants us to return the favor."

She rolled her eyes at him and pulled up her pants. "Does Angelina stay here often in the mornings"

"Yeah" he answered pulling up his work pants.

"Then I suppose we'll all have to get used to seeing one another without all of our clothes because I doubt this will be the last time I stay overnight and it is far too early in the morning for pants" she huffed buttoning her jeans and moving to switch into her own shirt.

Fred chuckled and then turned to see what she was doing. "You don't have to change that" he said hurriedly.

"I'm going to be leaving afterwards anyway, and it's not like I can wear your shirt back to the castle." She told him, regretfully pulling the soft cotton off her body. "Thank you for letting me use it though, it was nice" the witch said blushing as she bent down to pick up her discarded bra.

He picked the old shirt up from the bed where she'd left it. It didn't fit him very well anymore and he hardly wore it, he only kept it for sentimental reasons. He'd bought it from the muggle town near the burrow a day before his fifth year at Hogwarts began. It was just a black t-shirt with long sleeves, but it worked perfect for sneaking about the castle at night, no potion would stain it, it held up during rough and cold quidditch practices, and it kept the fabric of all the sweaters mum had made him from scratching his skin. Now he had found it was perfect for another use. He loved the way Hermione looked in it, especially when she otherwise had on only a pair of knickers.

She looked up after pulling on her sweater to find Fred had already gotten dressed and was holding out the same t-shirt she'd slept in.

"Take it with you" he murmured softly. "Sleep in it for me."

She took it from his hands "Why?"

The redhead shoved his hands in his pockets, his face flushing. None of the Weasleys really enjoyed sharing emotions, she found. "I really liked last night, not just because of what we did, but uh." He fumbled "I enjoyed waking up with you this morning and I know we likely won't get to do that again for another few months- perhaps longer. So I'd like it if you'd take it, and wear it when you miss me, just so I have something to think about."

She smiled softly and walked forward, to step on her tip toes and kiss the corner of his mouth. "Of course. Happy Birthday Fred"

* * *

Ginny opened the door, expecting to see one of her dorm mates angry at having been locked out, and instead found harry potter- sitting sideways on a broom to avoid the staircase turning into a slide.

"Er, can I come in"

She nodded and opened the door wider to allow him in. He slid off his fire bolt and onto the hard wood floor of the dormitory before speaking again.

"Hermione spent the night at Freds."

"What? She was only supposed to be gone for the day" the witch said crossing her arms. She wasn't in the mood to deal with her friends love life when hers was in shambles. Merlin, she thought, the one time she had Harry Potter alone in her dorm her eyes were bloodshot and puffy and her hair was a wreck.

"Yes well she must have accidently spent the night." The chosen one said annoyed "But since you were a- having trouble, everyone seems to think she was with you all night, including Ron."

"Perfect cover" Ginny murmured.

"Yeah, I already sent her a letter, I just wanted you to know should anyone ask"

She nodded "Alright yeah."

Harry nodded once more and then an awkward silence spread over the two. She stared at the floor, and his eyes were jumping from her face to his shoes.

"Uh, speaking of last night, are you alright" She nodded but he continued "It's just that there have been a lot of rumors, and I wanted to make sure you weren't feeling bad."

"I am," she admitted "Dean and I broke up" the red head shrugged. "but I'm actually not as upset as I thought I'd be" she glanced up at him and bit her lip to stop herself from finishing with _'at least not about the breakup'._

"That's…good" Harry trailed, and she watched as he took a slow gulp, before looking around the room, as though realizing for the first time exactly where they were. "So I'm glad your not that upset" he rambled "And we are clear on Hermione"

She nodded, watching his face intently. He looked pained, but then again, with everything he'd been through Harry just about always looked pained. Losing Sirius had taken a toll on him, she could see it in his eyes, his stance, even in his quidditch playing.

"Alright" he said one last time and began climbing onto his firebolt to make it safely back down.

She couldn't help herself, she looked like a wreck and had just been dumped, but Harry Potter was with her and an empty room, and there was a war coming. The witch rushed forward, and when he looked up to said goodbye, she was inches from his face.

Their gazes locked, green on blue, and she thought she saw a flash of worry, but ignored it and pressed forward.

She'd imagined it since she first saw him on the train platform after Ron's first year. It was surprisingly dry and motionless, Harry had cracked lips from constant sun damage playing quidditch, and he didn't move an inch.

The youngest Weasley was about to pull away and tell him to leave so she could go back to crying herself asleep, when a warm cracked palm cradled her face, and pulled her back into him. His lips opened and sucked on her own. She nipped at his bottom lip and grinned against his mouth.

When finally she was the one to pull away she had a grin the size of her wand stretched across her face, and Harry looked dazed.

Silence for only a moment and then the chosen one was grumbling "Suppose if we tell Ron just before Hermione tells him about Fred he won't be angry at us"

Ginny burst into laughter "I think that might actually work out well for everyone"

"He won't know who to be most angry at" harry murmured and it only furthered her giggles.

"Mum won't know if she should be ecstatic for us" she gasped through her laughter "Or angry at them."

Harry joined her and made another short comment that had them both heaving. Soon he'd slid off his broom and both were on the floor snickering until their lungs cried as they made jokes about what was, on all accounts already, _their_ family.

* * *

Fred huffed as he walked by the hall closet, the damn thing would never shut. No amount of sticking charms would work. He made to shove it closed when he caught a glimpse of something inside and instead opened it wider.

There was a myriad of boxes with back up stock, coats, and sweaters that he and George never wore, but more importantly there was two brooms. The two cleansweeps hadn't been touched since -what he and his brother affectionately called- the great escape.

Without another thought he pulled the two brooms out and carried them into the living room. Angelina gave him a curious look, but he quickly held a finger up to his mouth to tell his brother's girlfriend to keep quiet.

"Hermione?" he called, she was in a the kitchen helping George with the dishes.

"Yes" she called back and he could hear her footsteps coming nearer "Are you ready to take me back to…" her voice trailed as two choclate brown eyes fell upon the brooms. "No"

"What?" he asked her incredulously "Come on Herms, I know you're not too fond of flying but its got to be better than taking that cramped passage"

"Fred it's not that I don't _like_ flying, I can't."

"What?" This time it was George, sounding incredulous "You're dating the second best beater to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts and you can't fly a broom?"

Hermione's cheeks went red "I _can,_ I'm just terrified of it and I'm not very good." She turned to look at Fred "I'm sorry but I can't fly back to Hogwarts it'll be too dangerous to go all that way when I can barely hold my balance"

The twin dropped George's broom onto the couch then and said "We can ride together then."

"Fred you know that's risky" Angie said from her place on the couch "If she gets to scared she could knock you both off."

He glanced at Hermione's face. She clearly wanted nothing to do with that broom, but then he thought back to the last meeting the order had had. He'd told her nearly everything that they discussed (which was usually pointless things) but he hadn't told her what they'd talked about needing to do this summer- or how they planned to do it.

His brother said it before he had the chance "She'll have to learn."

"Why?" the younger witch asked eyeing both him and his brother.

"Hermione there's a war coming," Fred said decisively "You're brilliant at just about everything. You can't let a broom stop you. If it's your only way of escaping something you need to be perfect on it"

He watched as her face went white "Fred please don't make me.."

"I take you back on a broom or you stay here" he said with as much authority as he could gather. Under normal circumstances, he would never force her into something she hated so much, but the words George had said to him about how she would be targeted had been ringing in his head for days. He wouldn't let her weakness be her downfall.

She still looked pale, and he thought her hands had started shaking, but she crossed her arms. "Fine" she muttered "Let's go then"

She had her arms wrapped tight enough around him to bruise. He was flying as carefully as he could manage, and he'd putting a sticking charm on the broom so there was no possibility of her falling. Still she was clearly terrified and he was beginning to regret forcing her into this, that was until the image of a death eater cornering her entered his mind.

* * *

The views from up there were spectacular. Just the sight of the Scottish woods brought back memories of the day he and George left. He could feel the same rush in his blood that he'd gotten from seeing Umbridge's face when their fireworks went off. It made him want to do loops in the air and holler, just like they had done that day.

He managed to contain himself for Hermione's sake, but there would be no mistaking the grin on his face. It was the same 'shit eating' grin he always used to get after a successful prank. The look hadn't crossed his face in nearly a year now, and he missed it. He missed the feeling that came with it, the beating of his heart, the pain in his feet from running away from the scene of their crime, the sharp feeling in his lungs from all the laughter he shared with his brother.

It only got worse as they neared the castle. He could remember hearing the pounding of footsteps behind him, and Peeves screams for them to stop.

Flying over the gates he turned to look at Hermione. The poor witch had her eyes squeezed shut and her face nearly buried in his back. They would clearly have to work on this more.

"Love," he shouted over the dying wind and did his best to avoid going near the pitch. As much as he wanted to see it, he couldn't risk any practicing students seeing them. "We're almost to the astronomy tower, please open your eyes."

He swerved through the towers and slowly felt her sit up and then tighten her grip around him further. The astronomy tower came in view and he slowly pulled in, hovering only a moment before putting his feet on the ground. Thankfully the tower was void of all other students.

She realeased her death grip and tried to get off the broom, only to be stopped by the sticking charm. He quickly removed it, and she fell onto the stone floor, a mess of shaking flesh and bushy hair.

"Merlin, are you alright?" She was clearly not.

"I think I'm going to puke" he heard her murmur. "We obviously need to do that a lot more."

He stroked her back and said "You're a mess Hermione, we don't need to ever do that again" the sight of her in such a state made _him_ want to puke.

"Exactly" she croaked "I won't be much use to Harry if I become a quivering mess every time I get on a broom" The witch looked up at him and gave a weak smile.

He smiled back and wished she wouldn't have to be useful for Harry at all.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters**

 **I am putting the doc in now, but will post this chapter off my phone so I'm sorry if the format got screwed up**

 **Review Please**

 **Mel**


	10. Chapter 9

**Birthday Present: Chapter Nine**

* * *

O.W.L.s were coming faster than Hermione had expected. It resulted in a night of sheer panic on her part and then a ridiculous amount of time studying. Visiting Fred became more of a weekend treat (And sometimes wasn't a treat at all with the flying lessons they both insisted she needed). Thankfully her friends didn't notice the difference in her schedule, they had assumed she spent all her time in the library anyway.

Her marks in class were already showing improvement and she was hoping it would all be enough. She felt like she'd messed up, last year she'd began studying in early April. This time around the thought hadn't even crossed her mind until march. She'd lost a months' time because of a _boy_ , of all things, and couldn't help but feel like she was now drowning in information.

Not to mention she missed Fred _every day_ , Hermione had gotten so used to seeing him four or five times a week. Now it had become once or twice if she was lucky.

Not that she would ever admit it, but she'd grown used to sleeping in the shirt he'd given her, every night. It smelled like his apartment and she could just imagine him in it when he was younger over holiday playing quidditch.

Embarrassingly enough one morning Lavender noticed.

"What?" Hermione asked the blonde still a bit dazed from having just woken up.

"Well I've never seen you with that shirt before and suddenly you wear it every night, where did it come from?"

Parvati was out of the room and she thanked Merlin. That girl could see through every lie, but Lav wouldn't bat an eye at her fib.

"Oh I told my parents I was missing home, so they sent me this" she made up with pink cheeks "I used to sleep in it before I came to Hogwarts, it was my dads in his twenties"

Lavender eyed her up and down, the shirt came a little below her arse. "He must be a tiny thing"

"In his twenties he was" she said quickly pulling it off "but mums cooking eventually filled him out"

The other girl gave a small laugh, but still looked a bit wary. Perhaps she had underestimated her.

* * *

"Oh come on Hermione, you've been alone in the library all week. Don't you want any company?" Ron asked through a mouthful of his dinner.

She glared at him across the table, he was making her visits to see Fred increasingly difficult. He always tried to come with her to the library, which meant Harry was constantly being dragged along to avoid any 'funny business'. Usually she could get away Saturday nights when Gryffindor had qudditch practice, but the Hufflepuff captain had begged Harry for the field tonight.

"Can't blame them" Harry had told her when he explained why they no longer had practice that night "Ravenclaw demolished Slyhterin, and Hufflepuff was going to have a hard time beating them before"

She had no sympathy for the hufflepuff team. Especially now that they were getting in the way of her weekend trips.

"You came with me Wednesday night" she pointed out, trying to keep the malice from her tone.

"Yeah but we focused a lot on Herbology and I need more help in Charms" It was true, she'd taken a look at the boys grades immediately after the 'Lavender Fiasco' and found him failing the class, his grade still hadn't fully recovered.

"How about I help you with charms Monday night?" She offered, spooning only a little bit of peas onto her plate. Fred usually kept some leftovers for her, and as impossible as it seemed, she enjoyed his food much more than Hogwarts.

"Monday we have practice" Harry said sheepishly "It's the only time I could get"

"Tuesday then"

"We have a test in Charms _on_ Tuesday" Ron groaned, and she was briefly surprised he'd remembered it.

"Tomorrow morning!" she screeched. It had been a long week without Fred, and she needed to go tonight.

"Why can't we tonight!" Ron fumed back at her.

"I don't want to tonight" she yelled.

"You're the one that's always telling me not to procrastinate!" he shot back.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Harry sliding down the bench towards Ginny.

"Because you shouldn't!"

"That's what you're trying to do right now" The redhead screamed and gripped the table, looking like he was about to stand.

"I'm not procrastinating" she said leaning over him. "I spend every night studying for the bloody o.w.l.s and I plan to spend tonight making sure I pass my Potions test on Monday because I. don't. want. To. Procrastinate." Hermione said punctuating every word.

He had his mouth gaping like a fish as she stood and very quietly said "I'm going to go find a quiet place to study _by myself._ Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, we can go to the library to study if you still want to" Then she turned on her heel and left the dining hall, doing her best to ignore the stares.

* * *

"Ready?"

No. She was most certainly not ready. She already had a knot in her stomach from the argument with Ron. All the lying to one of her best friends was starting to get to her.

But she couldn't say all of that because she'd already told Fred when he asked that she was fine. She'd also said that she was ready to fly over muggle London tonight. Then she had dragged the both of them to a deserted area in a park to lift off. There was no going back. He insisted that the next time she flew it would have to be a muggle.

"You need to force yourself to go higher and not be scared" he'd told her last weekend when they discussed this. "There are a lot of places where you'll have to break the clouds just to make sure no muggles see you. London is one of them"

At the time she'd nodded and told him that sounded like it would be best. But now her phobia was rearing up in her stomach combining with the anger she still carried from dinner and she felt like she might be sick.

Telling him she didn't want to do it was certainly not an option. She was the Gryffindor princess, not to mention best friends with Harry Potter, and dating _Weasley twin for fuck's sake._

The thought of running passed through her mind. Fred didn't know London well enough to follow her, and she was positive she could make it back to the castle on her own. Or she could apparate away. She was licensed, but that would definitely alert the ministry and the school of her absence.

A hundred other (insane) ideas to get out of this situation bounced through her head as she bit her lip and stared at the broom.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The witch looked up. Fred had the same caring look on his face as when she first came into his apartment tonight. Except this time she didn't have all the adrenalin and anger pent up from a fresh argument, and she could actually appreciate it.

Her shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. The thoughts of escape left and were replaced by a blush that spread through her cheeks. Looking at him made all the ideas come into the light, and they now seemed as childish as they really were.

"I don't think I'm ready to fly over London yet"

He gave her a reproachful look "I know its scary for you, but Hermione you _need_ to practice on every level" She could see his body stiffen and hear his next few words waver "The deatheaters aren't going to give you and easy time."

"I know," she said taking a step forward so her legs bumped into the floating broom. "And I promise you I will soon. Before Summer is here I'll have flown over London. Right now though I am anxious and jittery because I've only been doing this for a month, and it doesn't help that I have exams coming up to stress me further"

His face fell from a look of worry to apologetic in seconds.

"I'm sorry, Love. I didn't realize I was pushing you too fast" He said hand reaching up to push the curls away from her face. "I've been worrying so much about the shop, your lessons, and just keeping this" the wizard gestured between them "a secret from mum, that I forgot you have things on your own plate as well"

"You don't need to apologize I do it too,"

He opened his mouth to protest but she only continued "Don't think I don't realize when you cancel plans last minute because I came to see you without telling you beforehand."

"Do you want to go back to the shop then?" he asked picking the broom up and leaning it over his shoulder to walk.

"No I want to fly tonight" she insisted "Just not here"

"Where then?"

She racked her brain for a place. She really wanted somewhere they hadn't gone flying before, but it also had to be somewhere they wouldn't be seen or recognized.

"Can you apparate someplace that you've never been before" she said staring up at him expectantly as her hands reached down to check the front and rear pockets of her muggle jeans.

"If I see a photo…" He trailed as she pulled a paper out of her pants and unfolded it.

She held it out and he took it carefully. The photograph was beaten to hell and back, and clearly muggle. Hermione was in it, but a much younger, dirtier Hermione. In fact both she and the two adults in the picture looked as though they hadn't bathed in days, but they had grins streatching across their faces, regardless.

"My mum and dad went camping a lot before I was born. Back when they were both in school it was easy to get away for a weekend. Once I came along they sort of stopped" she said explaining his unasked question "But they managed to take me on a two week trip to the Forest of Dean before I came to your house for the world cup"

He looked at the scenery then. You couldn't watch the branches sway, or the sunlight dance on the ground like you could in wizard photos, but it was gorgeous all the same.

"Can you do it" she said and bit her lip, her eyes the most expectant thing in the world.

"Yeah" he assured grabbing hold of her hand, partially to side along apparate her and partially for comfort. He'd never actually gone somewhere just from a photo, but George had told him before that it was easy enough. Still, Hermione was the last person he wanted to splinch, so he squeezed her fingers and silently asked Godric to help him out.

* * *

"Harry" Ron hissed, shaking his best friend rougher than he really needed to.

The chosen one considered hexing his friend across the room and placing a freezing charm around his curtains, but then the thought of everything he was currently keeping hidden from Ron flashed through his mind and he sat up. He better be a lot nicer to Ron before everything blew up in their faces. It wouldn't soften the blow, but it would keep it from being fatal.

"It's the middle of the night" he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Unless someone is dying, you ought to have…"

"Its Hermione" his friend snapped, cutting him off. "The cloak and map are still missing, which means she's still out and about the castle at night."

"Or" Harry suggested "It means she got held up a little late, and didn't want to wake us, so she has them both in her own dormitory"

"But what if she's in trouble" The older boy pressed "Do you want to risk it"

He frowned at his friends dismay. He'd known early on that Ron was interested in Hermione, and that she did not reciprocate, but he might have misjudged the _level_ of interest his friend truly held.

"Hermione," he began slowly, "is a sixteen year old witch, and has more brains than some of the professors here. Even if this wasn't something she did regularly, I wouldn't worry about her getting in trouble."

The youngest Weasley son took a step back from the bed and seemed to falter "But that's it Harry, she's doing this a lot. Why is she constantly sneaking off, where is she going. She can't be spending all this time in the library."

"Ron, she's not being hurt, so I honestly don't think it's any of our business."

The redhead moved back towards his bed, slightly put off, but not with a changed mind.

"Yeah," he mumbled with little promise behind the word "G'night mate, sorry I woke you"

"Night" he said back, watching the curtains close around his best friends bed.

* * *

Hermione stepped off the broom, with a smile on her face. It was an usually cold night, and her breath came out in clouds, but she hardly noticed it. Every other part of her was too distracted by the sights surrounding her. Tall trees stretched over her, only allowing in slivers of moonlight. Leaves long dead molded into the soft ground under her feet and new ones grew on braches surrounding her head. It was exactly as she had remembered. If she breathed in hard enough, she swore she could still smell her dad's soap bar.

"You didn't keep your eyes shut this time" Fred commented as she took steps away from the broom to further examine the clearing.

"It was too nice a view to do that" she whispered not looking at him.

"I can't argue with that" he said and glanced at his watch, his eyebrows rising.

 _I want to stay here again_ , she thought, distantly hearing Fred tell her it was past midnight and he needed to take her to the castle soon, _And if my parents can't come with me, he would be enough._

"Alight" she heaved "Let's go" Hermione swung her leg over the broom. There was none of her usual hesitation. This place made her feel invincible like a child again. Like she could climb to the very top of any of these trees and never fall.

Fred climbed on behind her, and she looked back with a questioning look.

"You control it this time," he commanded placing both his hands on the broom lower than hers. "I'll make sure you don't make a mistake."

She took one last long look at the clearing, before lifting her feet off the ground.

* * *

The next morning came with a cocktail of joy, and anxiety. Her night had been amazing in the moment. It cleared her head of all her questions. She could see exactly what she needed to do, and it brought her closer to Fred. But with the sun came even more fear. She had to get to her parents _now,_ but she was stuck in Hogwarts until summer, and even if she could get out the ministry would notice her magic showing up outside school.

Not to mention her craving got worse. She wanted to roll over to the sight of a lanky, freckled, red haired, prankster _every morning_. In fact each time she envisioned it they were in a tent. A small muggle triangle one, without even the room to stand.

Her mind was moving so fast all morning that she hardly caught Ron speaking to her at breakfast.

"Hmm?" she asked looking up at her boyfriend's youngest brother.

"I said I'm sorry for last night, and would like it if you'd let me go to study with you this morning" Ron recounted, flushing as scarlet as Gryffindor.

Her mind blanked a moment before she caught up to what he was saying. "Oh" she exclaimed. After her fly around, the argument with Ron had dropped from her mind "Yes, yeah of course I forgive you" she stumbled "You can come with me"

She looked at Harry then, expecting him to say he would be joining them. He had had her back every other time, but the raven haired boy only gave her an apologetic shrug.

"I'd like to come, but I promised Neville I would go out to the lake with him this morning" Harry said and then whispered in her ear "I swear I'm not lying this time, I can't come with you."

Her stomach dropped.

"I suppose it's just us today eh 'Mione"

"Mmm-hhh" she hummed doing her best to keep the ill look off her face.

* * *

Silence. That had been her strategy thus far. She answered his questions in the shortest possible responses and kept a good foot's worth of distance between them, despite his constant leaning in and scooting towards her.

It seemed to be a good strategy because they had less than twenty minutes left and nothing serious had happened yet.

 _But then again, thinking that had been a jinx in itself hadn't it?_

She reached to turn the page of his book to show him a good chart for determining what objects were best to charm for what use, when his hand caught hers.

"I think I understand it well enough already"

"Okay" she said cheerily, lightly tugging on her hand in a feeble attempt to get him to let go. "Then let's go ahead up to the hall to meet Harry, we've been down here for ages"

"Lunch doesn't start for another half hour."

"But it will take us ten minutes to get there" she said pulling her hand from his grasp finally. He seemed unfazed.

"So let's wait twenty minutes here, like we had planned, just not studying"

Damn her perfectionist time tables. Apparently she'd rubbed off on him more over the years than she had thought.

"Alright" she said sitting back in her chair and pretending to carefully and slowly gather her things.

"I need to talk to you about something" he began and she stood making sure to be looking the other way, as though there was a book on the shelf behind them that caught her interest.

"Go ahead, you can tell me anything." She said running her hand over one of the spines. Ironically it was a book she'd been meaning to read. It was seventh year material, but she wasn't sure how her next was going to go anyway.

"I know you're sneaking off to do something at night"

Her head whipped around to look at him astonished.

"It's none of my business I know" he said staring down at the maroon rug of the library. "But I care about you and just want to make sure you're being safe."

"Of course Ron," she assured and turned around once more. The look on his face was agonizing and she chose her next words carefully. The witch needed to take control of the situation fast. "I don't want to worry you and Harry at all, I'm being perfectly careful, and I'm happy you two respect my privacy enough not to ask."

Ron let out a low hiss "I-I don't worry about you the same way Harry does Mione"

She scrunched her eyes, as though if she squeezed them tight enough she wouldn't hear what was coming next.

"I like you a lot" he breathed "As much more than a friend or a brother."

The witch said nothing, only kept her back to him and wished to disappear.

"I'm not a curse breaker, or a dragon tamer. I'm not smart enough to work for the ministry, and I could never run a business as properly as the twins, hell I'm not even as good at quidditch as Ginny is" he snorted "And I am most certainly not the bloody chosen one, but I have liked you since fourth year" He continued, and she could hear him stand from the library's creaking wooden chair.

"I know you don't like me back right now," he kept on "But I want to work to make myself better for you." Her knuckles turned white gripping the edge of one bookshelf so hard. "I want to row with you less, to keep up with you better intellectually, and I want to make you laugh more."

She choked on a sob attempting to tear from her throat at the mention of laughter. He would never be Fred, but she had no way to stop him from trying.

His breathing sent shivers down her back he was so close now. "One day, I swear I'm going to be good enough for you Hermione Granger."

 _Even if he dies_ a voice said in the back of her head _You will never be good enough._

* * *

She abandoned lunch in refuge of her bed. She slipped out of her jeans and school jumper in favor of Fred's long-sleeved shirt and climbed into the safety of her covers. Curtains pulled tightly and several _mufflito's_ later and the sobs were racking through her body.

Hermione had always known there was the possibility she would break her best friends heart when he chose to tell her about his feelings. She had just never expected _her heart_ to break _for him_.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

 **AN: The ending is soppy, which I try hard to avoid, but I like it so whatever.**

 _ **Read and Review please (I need the motivation, school is starting again so I won't have so much time on my plate)**_

 **Mel**


	11. Chapter 10

Birthday Present: Chapter Ten

* * *

It had been over a week and she didn't know how she'd done it, but Hermione had successfully avoided Harry and Ginny. The two had been in hot pursuit of her ever since she had returned from the library. Thank Godric she hadn't yet returned the map to Harry before her study session with Ron, it had been her life saver this week.

Hermione was so determined to be alone that she hadn't even gone to a single meal, except for a quick duck in to grab food and leave. She had also been forced to find the most creative places to study around the castle. Not to mention the witch had mastered the art of running into the library, grabbing exactly what material she needed and leaving immediately after.

Fred had sent her several letters asking what she had planned for the weekend, and honestly she had nothing to do. Without her friends all she had left was wandering the castle and studying, but she hadn't sorted her thoughts yet. So she'd sent him nothing, and didn't intend to leave the grounds any time soon.

Guilt traipsed through her chest knocking into her heart consistently. Every time she got a glance of red hair she wanted to cry. The look on Ron's face from Sunday pressed into her mind, and she hadn't even told him no-not really. Fred's letters weren't helping. She was getting more each day and they were getting more and more desperate sounding. He was clearly worried about her. He'd mentioned a few times that he had been checking the papers to see that nothing had happened to her.

Then there was the worry for her parents. Fred wasn't the only one checking papers. Wednesday morning two French muggles with a wizard son at Buxenbots had been attacked and admitted to a wizarding hospital in France. From the sounds of it, the mother would never recover.

She tried desperately to push the thought from her mind, and ducked around a corner to check the map for her friends before entering the library. Her finger landed on their dots fast enough. Why they hadn't told her before this week that they were sneaking off together, she had no idea, and frankly didn't care that much, but they sure did like that broom closet on the second floor.

With a sigh of relief she entered the school's library, giving a weak smile back to . Not many people thought the women had a heart, but she'd cared enough each time Hermione entered the library over the years, with Puffy eyes, to give her a tissue, and allow her to sit in her office for some peace.

The girl wove her way through the stacks to where she had found an excellent selection on Potions books. There was nothing she wanted more than to sit in the Library, but Harry and Ginny checked for her here most often, so she couldn't risk it.

The sight that met her when she rounded the next corner for her usual spot was not one she'd expected.

"Hey mione'" Ron greeted quietly, he had a couple books open in front of him and was clearly in the middle of a study session. She'd never seen him doing that without her.

"Hi Ron" she said and turned to scan the shelf. Where was the damned book she'd come for.

"Are you looking for this?"

The brown haired girl turned and he was in fact holding up the book she'd come for.

"I saw you looking at it last week, thought I'd give it was shot"

"It's seventh year material" she mumbled.

"I noticed, but we might not be here for seventh will we? Ought to be prepared"

That was exactly as she'd begun thinking of it lately. The deeper Harry got in his lessons with Dumbledore the more unsure the trio became as to if they would be coming back to school. It was a thought she'd done her best to push to the back of her mind. She had other issues to deal with. They were issues a normal teenage girl had, and that wouldn't last another year. Being Harry Potters best friend would likely give her a whole other set of problems within six months, but right now she was a teenage girl in school, so those were the issues she was going to deal with at the moment.

"Yeah good thinking," she heaved out a sigh as though she could push off the weight lying on her "well I see you're using it so I'll find something else"

"No go ahead" he said reaching the book out to her "You'll probably get more out of it anyway"

Normally she'd modestly decline, but Ron had been the only person not trying desperately to talk to her this week and this conversation was still too much for her to deal with.

"Thank you"

* * *

By Friday night she was finished with the book, but Ron had asked her just to give it to him when she was done. So she decided to keep it on her bed stand until she could find a younger Gryffindor nice enough to do a favor for one of their prefects.

After another hour of delving into yet another seventh year textbook the witch decided to call it a night. She would have trouble falling asleep since her body was used to going to bed around two, and it was only 10:24 now, but she had nothing to do. All the studying, in attempt to push her other issues from her head, had left her mentally exoughsted.

She sat up in her bed, took up all her materials and dumped them carelessly atop her bedside drawers. Hermione took a glance at Lavender as she was closing the curtains. The other girl had been up in their room a lot since she started hiding here at night. In all honesty she didn't know if it was just something the blonde did regularly and she hadn't noticed, or if she was doing it to keep an odd sort of company. Paravati was never with her, and it left the dorm quiet but comfortable.

Before she could shut them Lav spoke "I'm running down to the kitchens for tea, do you want anything before bed?"

This was it. Their nightly ritual that had grown in the past two weeks. The girls said nothing to each other all night, until Lavender went to get tea.

"Yes please, hibiscus with honey and lemon if you would" The same answer, every night.

"All right" and then she would leave, by the time she came back Hermione would have her curtains closed, the girl would place her cup by her bed with a warming charm on it. Then she would pick up the thank you note she had left for her, and go to bed herself. Only yesterday had she noticed the other witch never did bring herself up some tea, like she said she would.

The next morning (or perhaps much later that night) when Hermione woke up too soon and was unable to fall asleep she would drink the tea and begin her day. No matter if it was eight am or three.

Lavender walked towards the door and Hermione reached out to grab her notepad for tonight's note, but before the blonde could open it there was a violent knocking from its other side.

"HERMIONE" came a muffled yell. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR" Ginny screeched.

Her dorm mate looked back at her, and then abandoned the doorknob to come to stand by her bed.

"I heard Ron the other night, in the library" she whispered, low enough to be inaudible through a door "I-I know you really don't like him that way, and I'm sorry I accused you of that when we were dating."

Why, she didn't know, but hearing her roommate's confession made her shoulders relax in a way they hadn't in weeks.

"I know it's not under the same circumstances, but how it feels for Ron to…." She trailed, but Hermione understood perfectly "I barely knew him and it took me a month to get my shit back together. Take your time"

"Thank you," she breathed as Ginny let out another string of yelling.

"I'll tell her to leave if you want"

"No" the brunette pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes. "I have completely abandoned my friends lately and I need to let them know I'm alright, but if you would go get me that tea….."

Lavender nodded, understanding that she needed a minute alone with Ginny.

The girl walked towards the door and finally opened it. Her red haired friend made to push past the other witch, but Lavender held out her arm.

"You need to calm down" she said so quietly, Hermione barely made out what she'd said " _Your_ brother did this to her. She has a right to hide away for a while"

Her friend's eyes went wide at Lav's proclamation. Two months ago she may have threatened to yank out Hermione's hair for so much as hugging Ron, now she was protecting her. What a strange turn of events.

The door closed again and Ginny spoke directly to her. "You're killing all of us Mione"

"I'm sorry" she said biting her lip "I just- I thought I had it all just about sorted out. I thought everything might just work out by summer, but then Ron threw me for a loop."

"He told us he finally let you know, but how bad was it really?" her friend asked cautiously, coming to sit next to her on her bed.

"Ron promised to change" she said staring at the bedcovers. "He said he was going to work more on himself, until he was something…." she took in a deep breath "….good enough for me"

Ginny sucked in a breath "He really said all that to you."

"Yeah, he said he wanted to study more, so he could match my intelligence better. He told me he wanted to argue with me less and make me laugh more, it was a love confession that any girl would fall head over heels for Gin. Only problem is that it's never going to work on me, not coming from him at least"

"I suppose that explains his behavior" Hermione looked up at that "He's been in the library almost as much as you normally are. Every meal he makes up a napkin and a note and tells me to bring them to you. He even stopped mid-row with Harry and apologized for how he was acting. It was like…. He was imitating you"

"Merlin" she moaned.

"You need to tell him he's never going to be able to do it" she whispered, "Or he's going to keep this act up and then he's going to break when you tell him it was for nothing"

"You didn't hear him in the library Gin, he compared himself to every one of his siblings- even you. When he said he'd never run a business as well as the twins I thought I would cry in front of him"

Ginny sat back, the worst look Hermione could have imagined her giving spread across her feature "I-I really don't know what to say. I'm not sure this can be fixed"

She put her head in her hands and did her best not to cry. She knew Ginny was right, this situation was irreparable at the moment, so she had to focus on something that she could fix, before she broke herself.

"How's Fred?" she asked quivering. Since she didn't go into the dining hall his owls had begun coming straight to her room, and at this point she could only read the first few lines before she began crying.

"He's been sending me a lot of letters" Her friend said sighing. "I explained best I could what had happened and why you weren't replying, but he's really worried about you."

"I need to go see him" Hermione mumbled "This isn't something we should talk about through post"

"I don't think that's the best idea, think about if Ron were to find out where you've been going now."

"I can't not see him for the next month and a half Gin," she exclaimed. As much as she had needed time away from everyone, the thought of not seeing him until summer made her stomach drop.

"Then you need to be even more careful than usual."

"I will be" she promised, but bit her lip at the same time. She could feel the bubble she and Fred had managed to keep up, shrinking. It would pop too soon.

* * *

The next morning she hadn't planned on going to breakfast, but Ginny (who had slept in her bed the night before) convinced her to officially break her solitary confinement.

"Come to our quidditch practice after we eat" the younger witch urged her as they made their way to the great hall. "Luna and Neville usually come so you can sit with them"

"Maybe" she said her mind elsewhere. She needed to get to the owlry to send Fred a letter. Her plans were to visit that night, but after two weeks of ignoring him, she wasn't sure if her usual surprise drop in was okay.

Harry and Ron looked up as they walked towards the table.

"Hello," she said upon seeing them, both boys looked unsure of what to say or do.

"Hermione has decided to rejoin the living" Ginny joked lightly, trying to ease the atmosphere.

The witch eased herself down onto the bench and gave her best smile. "I suppose I did"

"did you uh- finish with that book? The one from the uh" Ron fumbled glancing up and down between her and the table. She pulled it quickly from her bag.

"Yes I- thank you for letting me use it first" Hermione answered passing it across the table. The air between her and her friends had never been more palpable.

Slowly but surely the chatter began. The other three took up talking about classes, comparing what they were getting in 6th year to Ginny's 5th year work. Occasionally they asked her a question which she would answer shortly and then continue just listening. Eventually the conversation slipped to quidditch and she was able to tune them out all together. They wouldn't be dragging her into that she was positive.

"I need to run upstairs for my gloves" Ron muttered towards the end of the meal. He bagan pushing himself out of the seat "Mione, would you mind coming with me?"

Her head snapped up at the mention of her name. "Why?"

"Just for company" he murmered, but she could see the tinge already spreading to his ears "You don't have to, but I figured since we're all going out to the pitch it would be nice to have someone to walk with.

"Yeah Mione, go with him" That was the first time harry had spoken directly to her all morning. "Ginny and I need to go ahead and go down to get everyone in position, ready to practice"

She studied his face for a moment. It was clear both her friends thought she needed to tell Ron sooner rather than later (and she was beginning to agree) but with a glance at Ginny she realized his begging was also a sort of plea for twenty minutes alone in his own affair. Her first reaction was to flare up, and possibly tell Ron exactly what the two had been up two, before remembering that she had been asking the same of Harry for months. It was hard trying to get things around Ron. He wasn't dumb and lying to your best friend ate away at a person.

"Alright, let's go"

* * *

"Who are you owling?" She heard from behind and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"My parents" she lied. A school owl had come to deliver some girl in the common room a birthday gift and she had taken the opportunity to scribble out a quick letter to Fred.

The two began their walk down to the pitch, Ron had his gloves on now, his broom slung over his shoulder and his helmet in the other hand. Her friend had gotten taller this year, he always did, but he'd filled out as well. He was beginning to look more and more like his brothers, especially Bill.

Right now however, with his quidditch goggles pushed up on his head, and his Gryffindor uniform accentuating a lanky form, she could only think of how much he looked like the twins when they played. In fact, now that she wasn't hiding away all she could think of was Fred. It had been two weeks, and his absence was just now coming down upon her. That was her fault, she knew. He couldn't exactly come and see her, but the thought didn't stop the pain in her chest when she looked up at her friend and saw his brother.

"My charms mark has improved" He said, breaking the comfortable silence that had rested between the two. "Thank Godric it has or I might not have been allowed to play in our next match"

"That's wonderful Ron. Who are you all playing next" The Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw game had already passed the Sunday before and from what she heard Hufflepuff only won because they caught the snitch within 20 minutes.

"Slytherin," he said as they rounded a corner. "They've been practicing hard after they got beat by Ravenclaw, Harry says they want redemption with us"

"I doubt they'll manage it," she hummed "If you play the same way you did before christmas they won't have a chance"

The witch looked over at him them and watched him tense. That was obviously still too tense a subject to speak on.

"I can't believe I got my charms mark back up." Ron whispered and she looked up at his face shocked. She'd just complemented his quidditch skills and he'd changed the subject back to grades. That was something she'd never thought he would do. "I just, I thought I needed you to help me." He looked away from her "I'm surprised is all."

"I'm not" she pressed, intently watching Ron's features. Maybe this was her chance. She needed to let him down easy, make sure he knew it wasn't his fault. He needed to recognize how wonderful he was, he needed to know he was just as good as any of his brothers, and that they all needed him.

"You are so smart Ronald" she continued. "Sometimes it doesn't show in your marks because you zone out in class or you're worried about something else at the moment, but that's natural, especially considering you've signed yourself up to take on all your own worries _and_ Harry's."

"Don't patronize me Hermione. You do it too, Harry does it because he has no choice, and you're both better in every subject than I am" Ron sneered and she felt his pace quicken.

"I am not patronizing you, I'm telling you the truth because you don't seem to be getting it" the witch took hold of his arm in a feeble attempt to slow him down. "What you said to me in the library was all ridiculous, you have to know that"

He snorted and continued on, despite how she was trying to drag him down by the arm. "No its really not, ever since then I've gotten better. Everyone's liked me more, and has been treating me like-like they treat Harry or Ginny or you!"

"But that's not because you're not enough as is Ron! You've just been putting in more effort" she insisted "It's a part of growing up, you've been acting like an adult so people have started treating you like one."

He finally stopped and rounded on her "Are you saying I acted like a child before!" his face was turning a slow shade of crimson, and instinct made her step back.

"No, I just want you to know that you don't have to try and be anyone else" Hermione fumbled for words "I like you as you are, I'm excited to see how you're going to be as an adult. I loved Ronald Weasley when he was growing up and I'm going to love him when he finally realizes who he's meant to be for the rest of his life" she huffed, words coming out of her faster than she could think "We're not kids anymore, and I respect that you're trying to do more, to be better, but I don't want you to do it for me."

She watched her friends face fall, anger morphed into confusion and a glimmer of gloom.

"You never need to change, for me or anyone. You need to change when you feel you want to, for yourself. If you like the way you've tried to act lately because it makes you feel better about yourself and makes you happy then by all means act that way, like it would naturally come to you."

"People say that, but then they praise people like my brothers." Ron muttered "People like guys like Bill, Charlie, The twins, and Harry."

She took a step towards his slumped form, he looked tired. It looked like all the years of measuring himself up to others were finally crossing his features.

"Your brothers are grown up, they've gone through everything you have, except they didn't have the same pressure. They did great things, I won't lie, but that won't stop you from doing just as much with your life. This self-doubt you have pent of is your worst quality Ron, and that's saying a lot."

He kept silent, and Hermione continued. "You have the potential to rival my marks, you're in the running for head boy, you're the best keeper this school has seen in years, brave enough to follow the bloody chosen one right into a death eater attack on the ministry, and you're much more compassionate than I ever made you out to be." She breathed out the last part, thinking embarrassingly of her teaspoon comment from last year.

"Do you really think all that about me?" Ron's face was still that famous Weasley red, but by now it was more from embarrassment than anger. He didn't get complemented much, and it showed across his face. That was partially her fault, the three of them always made jokes and she was sure she'd said some nasty things to him mid row, but she hadn't complemented him much.

"Of course," she closed her eyes "I'm sorry I haven't ever told you how much you mean to all of us. Sometimes I just think it's obvious, but I suppose you don't see it the same way"

The brown eyed girl opened her eyes again and found a freckled face directly in front of her. She briefly heard the clatter of his broom and helmet falling on the stone hallway, before two thick fingered hands grasped her cheeks and pulled them together.

The witch froze in place, her hands uselessly gripping her bag with all the study materials she'd intended to use outside.

It lasted only a few moments and Ron was quiet when he let go. His eyes were glued to her face, trying to gage a reaction, she could tell.

Hermione looked at the floor and realized her mistake.

"Well?" he finally croaked, "please say something, anything 'Mione."

"I'm sorry, I was misleading."

"Never mind" he rushed, but she had to go on.

"Ron I love you as my friend, as my brother. I want to keep it that way"

"But I can do better" he yelped "Hermione you should see the way I've been lately I think you'll.."

"I will never like you that way, believe me I have been trying to like you for years. You would be _perfect_ , but I can't."

"Go on one date with me" the red head begged. "If I'd be perfect, then give me one chance"

"I want to, it would all work out that way wouldn't it," she hissed "Me and you, Harry and Ginny, it would be like some sort of fairytale, but we don't live in a fairytale. We live in a world where Voldemort is on the rise and we might die in the next year. We live in a world where I desperately want to love my best friend just because I want him to be happy, but I can't force myself to do that. It wouldn't be fair to you, when I know I would never truly be in love with you. You deserve a girl, who is head over heels in love with Ronald Weasley. I won't ever be able to give that to you."

He said nothing only looked at her, and then the floor where his quidditch items lay.

The look on his face was cracking her composure "I'm sorry Ron, I've really tried these last few years I have. And it's nothing against you you're intelligent, funny, you can keep up a debate, and you are extremely attractive"

She sucked in a deep breath to say something more, but Ron held out a hand to stop her. Slowly he bent down to pick up his things.

"Tell Harry I'm sorry for missing practice, but I suddenly felt ill" he murmured and stalked off.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.**

 **AN: Another day another soppy ending. I think this is the first chapter that I've posted without Fred in it and originally I did not intend for that, but this portion became so long I had to cut it off there.**

 **So Ron finally gets it (kind of). This was really hard to write because in a universe where Fred is dead I can actually understand Ron/Hermione and this is the first time I have written her where she is completely uninterested in Ron.**

 **Please Review!**

 **Mel**


	12. Chapter 11

**Birthday Present: Chapter Eleven**

 **AN: sorry for updating so late in the day!**

* * *

Hermione stood in the hallway a few minutes. What had she done. Why had she done it. Couldn't she just have fallen for him? Couldn't she have told his brother no. If she hadn't been dating Fred would she have done anything differently? Was it worth it, breaking her best friend to go out with his brother?

"Hermione?" the call tore into her warring thoughts "What are you doing, standing there?"

"I- I was on my way to the pitch Luna" she choked a little on her words "I'd been walking with Ron, but he uh decided he was too ill to go to practice today"

"Well didn't you want to walk him to the infirmary" Neville asked gripping what she could only guess was a pot of tumbling weeds. They were reaching out attempting to trip him, but the wizard had good control over them.

"He told me not to come," she said in a whisper "He really wants to be alone for a little while."

"Oh," Luna said "Like how you've wanted to be alone for a couple weeks."

Neville had the good graces to look embarrassed "A lot like that Luna."

"I suppose we should go onto the pitch, and let Harry know he won't be coming." The boy offered and began walking.

Hermione trailed behind him a bit, but Luna chose to fall in step with her.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright as well Hermione?"

"I'm fine Luna"

The two were quiet for a second and then "No you aren't."

"It's just that Ron and I had a row is all" she said dismissing the girl.

"Well I can see that, but there's something else as well."

Hermione felt her stomach drop. She never liked when Luna said things like that, the girl was either revealing your soul to the world or talking utter nonsense. Sometimes it was a winning combination of the two.

"It's like something's eating you, from the inside out. Perhaps you have a family of nargles stuck in there?" There was that winning combination.

"Something like that Luna, don't worry I'm dealing with it best I can"

"So long as you know."

Harry hadn't been happy to hear about Ron, but she hadn't stuck around long enough to explain. The halls were filled with students, but she'd been carrying around the cloak and map with her like they were her lifeline. The second it told her the hag's hall was empty she ducked into the tunnel.

There had been times the walk to Hogsmeade felt like it would never end, but this time she was flying. Her head down, and the cloak wrapped loosely around her shoulders, she ran like her life depended it.

In no time at all she was in the apartment, tearing off the cloak and gasping- partially because she had just run quite some distance and partially because she'd cried the whole way. Silence greeted her. In the pit of her stomach she knew he wasn't here, but the witch tore through the apartment regardless. Empty, not even George was there.

It meant he was probably downstairs, but she couldn't go down and risk any customers recognizing her. She took a glance at the clock and let out a sob. At best he would come up for lunch, until then she would have to wait.

As though in a trance, Hermione straightened, laid the cloak and her bag over the twin's maroon sofa and started about the room. She set a pot to boil first, and pulled out two bags of tea. Then she shuffled into Fred's room, pulling off the button down and skirt, she'd chosen to wear that day, as she went.

After a minutes rummaging she found a pair of shorts with elastic in them (thank merlin she wasn't the size of Lavender, or they would have never stayed up) and one of Molly's infamous Christmas sweaters, embroidered with a large yellow 'F'. She pulled the top blanket off Fred's bed and wrapped it around her shoulders in order to go back into the kitchen.

Hermione moved through the apartment like that, gathering her favorite things on the couch until she had what she imagined was the most comfortable spot possible. Soft Italian music floated from the record player and through the room, while a pile of books waited on her next to the couch. Along with that a pot filled with tea and a cup sat on the table.

She sighed in content as she sunk into the cushions and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. This was an act she'd pulled a few times in the summers after Hogwarts, when the pain of missing her friends and magic pulled at her heart. It was something that had never failed to calm her thoughts, and she was fairly certain it was more the action of pulling everything together that helped her rather than what she got out of it.

Admittedly it made her feel a bit like a silly child afterwards, but while she was snuggled up Hermione could proudly say to anyone who asked that she technically still was a child (by muggle terms at the very least) and therefore had the right to take the occasion to act like one. The witch had nearly forgotten all about her little method of comfort now that she had Fred. In fact, thinking about it now, Fred was causing her to lose a lot of what she usually did.

She used to spend a few nights a month giggling through the curtains in either her dorm or Ginny's, whispering to each other about every subject under the moon until they both fell asleep. Now she couldn't remember having a single one of those nights since she started up with the older Weasley. He'd also unintentionally altered her studying patterns. Before she would spend half her time on schoolwork and helping her friends with their own. Now her grades had fallen (though not significantly) and she'd practically abandoned Harry this year. No wonder he'd fled to using a dumb book for help in class.

She'd left the boy who lived to fend for himself, and she'd broken his best friend along the way.

Hermione tried to squeeze her eyes shut then, as though it would push out her invasive thoughts. The brightest witch of her age furrowed farther into the blankets and pillows she'd surrounded herself with, like a child. For the first time in her life it wasn't working. Putting her 'safety nest' together had only put off her tormented mind for a while.

Now she was left wondering if it was because she wasn't a child anymore. This silly act could not fool an adult mind, not when at all other times it was being forced to face the prospect of her worst fears.

That sounded right for a moment. Her mind had grown out of that, she told herself, until yet another idea came swimming to her.

Maybe it was like when she was younger and her mother gave her a slice of pie one day. It was amazing on its own, but after she'd had it with ice cream on her birthday, it just wasn't as good alone. She'd grown too used to Fred doing this for her, and it just wasn't as good without him now.

* * *

"Hermione! Hermione" she jerked awake, to a voice that was much too feminine.

"Angelina" she croaked and rubbed at her eyes, sure that they were red from having cried herself into a nap. "Where is Fred"

"Are you okay?" The older witch asked, evading her question.

"Where is Fred?" her repetition did nothing.

She cast a quick warming spell on Hermione's cold cup of tea and pressed it into the girl's hands, before moving to sit next to her on the couch.

"Please tell me."

"Drink something first, Godric knows how long you've been up here."

She glanced out the window then. It hadn't felt like it, but she must have slept some time. The record player had shut off and it was pitch black outside. With one more look at the worried girl she gulped down her tea.

Halfway through the cup she pulled it from her lips and shuddered. It wasn't the same after it had gone cold, no charm would change that.

"Please explain, you're scaring me"

"It's nothing to be scared about. I've been down in the shop all day working for the twins, because they had to make a sort of emergency trip to Romania with their mum. Charlie got an injury and when it happened they weren't sure how serious it was. They've been fire calling me all afternoon, he's got a cut on his stomach, but it's not as deep as they originally thought. The twins said they would be home by tomorrow afternoon."

She breathed out a sigh "By tomorrow afternoon?" she asked.

"Yes, they promised, and I'm sure Fred will be thrilled to see you."

The brown eyed witch didn't say anything more, only hoped she'd last that long.

* * *

The door slammed hard enough for him to feel his bed rattle. Ron just huffed and rolled over, his friend had been coming in and out of the dorms all day. The first time he'd yelled at him for missing practice, until slow realization that something else had happened today overtook him. Since then Harry had only come in to tell him he needed to get up, and bring him food. Now however, it seemed he was fed up.

"What happened Mate, you've been moping around all day and I can't find Hermione anywhere to tell me otherwise."

He hadn't spoken a word since he'd left Hermione in the hallway, and his voice came out scratchier than he'd anticipated "She shot me down Harry, and she's known I liked her probably longer than I have"

"Ron, she really wanted to like you back, but for years she's looked at you like an older brother." He began "The last thing she wants in the world is to hurt you."

"Yeah she just about said all that" he said pushing down his covers and standing from his bed.

"She can't help not liking you just like you can't help but like her. It's not a fault in personality, sometimes it's just…" he trailed "…. The way people click."

"That doesn't help me" he said pulling off his practice shirt and moving to his trunk.

"It's not something you can help Ron, the muggles call it chemistry. Sometimes being attracted to a person is just chemical, and not something you can stop by thinking about it."

The chosen one was rambling, and this wasn't the first time he'd had to endure some bullshitted speech from one of his friends about how there was nothing wrong with him. In fact, it wasn't even the first time today.

"Well chemistry can kiss my arse, because I know why 'Mione doesn't like me back"

Harry looked taken aback, but Ron only continued to pull on a jumper and jeans.

"Why do you think that is?"

"She's seeing someone else mate. You didn't think I wouldn't notice that now a days she has the cloak and map more than you do"

"I- she wouldn't"

"Don't lie, I know you wouldn't let her unless you knew what she was doing" he sighed and pulled on his cloak "But do you know who it is?"

"Ron I really can't tell-"

He cut him off "I don't want to know, honestly if I did I would just blow up every time I see him in the halls. I just need to know if you know who it is."

"No," the younger boy shook his head "I'm sorry I don't"

His shoulders slumped "It's worse than I thought then. I understand her not telling me, so I wouldn't get upset, but if she didn't tell you it means she's dating someone we don't like."

"Hey, Hermione's smart, she wouldn't get mixed up with anyone rude" Harry defended, immediately feeling bad about his lie. At this point he'd gotten so used to lying for the witch that it had seemed like the best thing to do.

"Oh yeah, you don't seem to remember the way she dressed herself up for McLaggen at the Christmas party. But if it was anyone like him she'd have told you, and I think I know who she'd be dating and wouldn't tell you."

"Oh yeah" Harry said, anticipating the worst of answers "who?"

"Well I don't know specifically who" Ron started ears tinging in crimson "But I think he's a slyhtherin."

* * *

Portkeys always made him want to puke, the last time he'd needed one was when they went to the world cup. George knew how much they bothered him and the two had made plans to stick behind the rest of the group for a moment, just so Fred could run and puke without anyone taking notice. Back then he'd thanked his twin and George had laughed at him.

"We wouldn't want anyone _specific_ to see would we?" he'd chuckled and Fred shoved him. They teased one another about girls a lot back then, but usually they were fancies that were forgotten within a month or so. He'd kept this one a secret from his brother for almost a half a year now, but he'd gotten figured out the second they went to pick Hermione up. Back then he'd hoped it would go away soon, so his twin wouldn't notice, but it hadn't. So George had stopped teasing him- mostly.

Now it wasn't quite so bad. On the way _to_ Romania he'd figured that he was so used to apparition that the sensation had been numbed a bit. He'd puked of course, but had eaten just fine right afterwards.

This time he didn't puke at all. George and he landed on the bridge most students took on their way into Hogsmeade (their mother had stayed behind to see to Charlie for just a few more days) and he'd took off running, pushing down the gnawing in his stomach that said he needed to vomit.

Once more he heard his twin laugh at him as he took off.

"I suppose today's your day off then!"

* * *

"She's been gone all night again" Lavender said, before Harry could open his mouth upon reaching the Gryffindor table. "I don't know where, but I saw her running through the halls yesterday and she looked desperate for something."

Ginny shifted next to him, and both were glad Ron was not with them.

"Thanks Lav" the younger witch said and began pulling her boyfriend out of the great hall.

"She finally went to see Fred" He huffed, as they walked out the two. "Two weeks he's been sending letters, worried sick about her and she refused to go, but now when we need her _here_ …"

"Oh come off it Harry" she admonished "You can't blame her, she was just as hurt as Ron was by what happened yesterday. She needed someone to comfort her."

"So did Ron" he hissed and yanked his arm out of Ginny's grasp "She hasn't been thinking about many people other than herself lately. She's making you and me cover for her, and she's tearing her best friend apart. We don't have time for all these silly love games Gin. Death eaters are on the loose, Voldemort is gaining in on us, and Dumbledore is doing everything he can, but it isn't enough."

She took a step back from him then, stunned. Everyone could feel it coming, but it was one thing to know about it, and another to have someone yell it in your face.

Harry watched, terrified as her face morphed from a moment of alarm into disgust. "And we haven't been doing the same to her!" She hissed back. "As much as you'd like to think of yourself as the victim in this, we have asked her to do the exact same thing for us!"

"We never really asked her, she might not even know!" he said meekly, suddenly looking as scared as she had been moments before.

"Please Harry, she told me she'd noticed us on the map all week in that closet on the third floor. We haven't exactly been discreet." She snorted.

The boy who lived stood straight then, trying to appear as confident as he could in front of his girlfriend. "I-I maybe your right, but she still needs to think about what she's doing, before she hurts Ron further."

Ginny shrunk then, her anger diminishing as quickly as it grew. "Trust me, I don't think Hermione does much else than think about what she has to do."

* * *

Between her afternoon nap, and what she had going on in her head, Hermione hadn't fallen asleep until two in the morning. She doubted it would have been that soon had she not given in and taken a sleeping draught. Now that the sun was glaring down at her through the curtains and something was shaking her, her body was fighting to stay asleep. Her brain kept grasping at the vague dream of her running through the rain as a child, trying to hold onto it.

When she finally rolled over, accepting her fate, she was awake in seconds and jumping out of the bed. Hands grasped at her back, letting go and grabbing at her again like she would disappear.

"Merlin Hermione, I missed you" Fred breathed, head buried deep in her curls.

"I'm sorry" she whispered back, lips pressed against his shoulder. "I'm sorry for everything I've done" her last word came out with a sob and he hushed her.

"Don't apologize right now, don't even speak. I just want to hold you for a bit" the red head requested, patting her hair down. "We'll deal with everything else in a few hours"

"Okay"

* * *

 **AN: Kind of short in comparison to my last few chapters, but when I actually set my *goals* for this story (I do flowcharts and tree maps and shit) my chapters were supposed to be between 6-9 pages each and 2,500-4,200 words each. The past few have all been pushing the max I set. Actually, I think I went over my max one time so far, but that really isn't something I enforce on myself unless I feel like I'm about to go into a writing block stage and don't want to fall behind on my chapters.**

 **Not that I feel one coming (writers 6** **th** **sense) but I've been out of it (and by 'it' I mean acting as a functioning human being, not just writing) lately, and classes start this Monday for me, so I'm pretty sure the next few chapters will not be coming out as lengthy as I've been giving you all. Sorry.**

 **Thank you all for reading what I've put up so far, I'm still kind of young, but I've been writing for nearly five years now. I started using an old ipad my family bought because I couldn't afford my own computer and it feels like so long ago. I like to think that I've grown in my skills and having people that follow this and take the time to leave comments is very validating.**

 **Love you all, Mel**


	13. Chapter 12

**Birthday Present: Chapter Twelve**

* * *

Now that she'd been licensed, side along apparition felt childish. McGonagall briefly reminded her of her mother, holding her hand to walk her across the parking lot when she was too small to do so herself.

The second her hand had been let go, and she opened her eyes to see an all too familiar street, blood rushed in her ears. The sound pounded in her skull with a violent thrumming that felt a lot like having a person knock on her head as though it were a door.

 _She was sitting in the twins living room. Fred and her had been lying in bed most of the morning, silent, but enjoying the other's presence. It had only been a few minutes since he'd leaned over her and asked if she'd wanted to talk over lunch._

 _The witch could hear him moving in the kitchen, but she wasn't paying attention, she was much too busy trying to gather her thoughts. She needed to figure out what she had to say, before she opened her mouth and fucked up again._

Hermione stumbled a moment and looked back at where her professor should have stood. The woman look like she was gone, but with a quick glance downward she could see the flicker of what looked like a greying cat.

So she turned back around and continued her walk down the street on trembling legs. She'd told McGonagall not to let her back out, and not to ask her to do it instead. Now she regretted it.

 _It definitely wasn't long enough before Fred was setting two sandwiches down on the coffee table in front of her. She felt like she'd just barely settled into the cushions, let alone collected herself._

" _Do you want to talk first or eat?"_

 _Hermione had always been the type to joke with her mother-_

She turned the corner, and there on the very end of the road her redbrick childhood home sat. Her breath caught.

 _-to joke with her mother that she was more likely the type to eat a fourth meal than to forget one of her three. Yet right now, after an entire day of only nibbling at biscuit Angela had tried to shove down her throat, she felt like she might vomit and wanted nothing less than to eat._

" _Talk" she said quietly._

" _Alright" the redhead pushed his own plate away, even though he'd been hungry before leaving Romania. "Ginny told me Ron…. Admitted his feelings for you"_

" _He did more than that" she began, taking a deep breath "He, well I, sort of gave him the wrong impression- he thought I had the same feelings."_

 _Fred tensed, she could see it, even from here._

" _I was trying to let him down easier" she rushed "he- he kept comparing himself to you, and to all your brothers. I couldn't listen to him berate himself like that- he's one of my best friends and he's got to know how wonderful he really is…."_

" _Please Hermione" Fred sneered cutting her off._

 _She sat up then "Are you saying it's my fault he.."_

" _I'm not saying its your fault at all Love" he said holding up a hand "I'm saying Ron is pulling the same shit he always has."_

" _You can't possibly be blaming your brother! After everything we're doing to him, everything we're hiding from him!"_

" _Everything he's_ making _us hide Hermione!" Fred roared, standing from the leather armchair he'd been occupying. "He's pulled this same trick ever since we were little." His voice suddenly got quiet. "Every quidditch trick one of us learned before him, every award, any celebration was tainted by Ron's fucking pity parties." Her mind was whirling, she hadn't expected him to yell at her._

" _I don't think you understand the gravity of his insecurities, its hard on him. He's best friends with the chosen one, and the last of six brothers" she began, her usual rant being interrupted again by one of Fred's snorts. He looked a bit crazed now, like a dog that's finally taken enough beatings from its master._

" _And you don't think being the fourth- maybe fifth- isn't just as hard! We were the morons of the family! The ones that were always messing things up. We never even dreamt about getting some of what he has….."_

" _Just because you felt insecure doesn't mean you have the right to bully him" she burst, but he talked right over her._

" _Are you joking he's best friends with Harry Bloody Potter and the most brilliant witch of her age! He's got the whole goddamn Gryffindor house chanting 'Weasley is my King'. Dumbledore gave him a position as a prefect without batting an eye, and he didn't even get it late like Charlie, when the first boy picked failed!"_

 _The older male looked positively furious now, she'd only ever seen either of the twins angry at the quidditch match 5_ _th_ _year. When Malfoy had insulted their family. Then she'd been terrified of the duo, and the anger hadn't even been directed at her._

Her pace quickened. By now the blood in her ears sounded like a tidal wave. It was crashing over her quicker than she could walk.

"" _I know what he has, and what he's accomplished" she breathed, doing her best not to shake. The last thing she needed Fred to think- know rather- was that she was scared of him. "But that doesn't mean he does,"_

" _And there is exactly the problem" the twin said, his face that infamous shade of Weasley red as he learned over her screeching. "He doesn't even recognize what he has! He just wants more. He always wanted mum's sympathy for him when we were kids. The rest of us had to grow up just that much faster for poor little Ronniekins who can't yet fly a broom, who can't yet stir a cauldron, who can't yet run as fast- so you have to slow down to make him feel better."_

She could see a blue mailbox now, and the statue of a dog that sat by their doorstep, the same one she always came home from school and petted on the head like it was alive. The same one that she'd accidently made come alive after she'd come home crying from what a girl had said to her in school, and needed someone to comfort her while her parents worked.

Now she felt she needed the companionship even more, and for a second she considered waving her wand, it would be such a simple spell now that she knew all that she didn't before Hogwarts. But a second thought stopped the flick of her wrist, her professor had told her that the spell she'd done on her wand to make her magic outside school untraceable by the ministry was only good for one spell. She had to get it all right now, and in one go, or she wouldn't be able to guarantee their safety during the war.

 _He was heaving now, his words getting lower. They no longer came out in torrents, but in breaths "Now it's not mum he's claiming, he's claiming you. It's ridiculous that I- we- should have to hide because of poor, poor little Ronnikins. We have to hide, to make him feel better and I hate it."_

 _She stared at her lap then, letting his words sink in. Hermione had thought about the injustice of having to hide for Ron's sake, but never with such a particular point of view._

 _This must have been building in her love for months, but he'd said nothing. He'd let this fire build until it poured over and out on her, when she had only tried to speak with him. He could have told her, but instead he chose to take it all out at once, and insult her best friend in the process._

 _Hermione, stared up at his features. They were cracking at the edges, but farther than that she saw something she had thought Fred had grown out of. A child._

 _He was throwing a tantrum. Similar to what his brother did to her fourth year, at the yule ball. But this was so much worse. Because when Ron yelled at her, she hadn't let a single word he said affect her. Now she could hear every syllable, and it was sinking in, but not in any way he would like it to._

 _She'd already broken one Weasley brother this weekend, and that had nearly killed her, how would she be able to survive crushing two?_

" _He kissed me" Fred stared at her shocked, but none of the anger she'd prepared herself for. "I pulled away and I told him that he was amazing and that I loved him as a brother, and he left. I don't know what's happened since, but I know he'll get over it._

" _It's not like that Hermione" he hissed "He's going to cry until he gets what he wants or until no one can have it at all"_

" _No, I don't believe he has to this time" the witch responded, trying to keep herself from crying. Fred had just put into clear view what she had known all along. He was a mistake, a distraction, and wedge between her and her friends. But logic never lessened pain. "You managed that all on your own."_

 _Blue eyes went wide "Are you leaving?"_

" _I'm sorry we had to hide. That wasn't fair to either of us, you're right Ron shouldn't be allowed to call things like that. But_ you _need to reconsider how you treat your little brother. I know he gets special treatment once and a while because he's insecure, but I don't doubt that you all are a large part of the reason he is so much like that"_

 _The red head said nothing, only stared at her in surprise._

" _You don't think I've heard the story of how you turned his toy into a spider when he was little." She hissed "OR noticed every time you pick on him, heard when you made fun of him for being prefect" she spat "Just because you're insecure as well doesn't give you the right to treat Ron like shit."_

" _So you're breaking up with you for picking on my little brother?"_

" _I'm breaking up with you for a number of reasons Fredrick Weasley" he flinched at the full name, he'd heard her scream Ronald a thousand times in anger, and had never expected it to feel so much like a cruisatas. "The first being that there is a war coming, and I don't think either of us need the other weighing on their mind when they have so many other things to deal with." He could spot tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes "and the second that you treat your brother, my best friend, like garbage, and you expect him to think of himself as the golden child."_

" _He's_ my _brother. I pick on him like family does." Fred grit._

" _There is a difference between family, and bullying."_

Her hands patted the pockets on her Muggle jacket. She'd had to look for her house keys for nearly a half hour. It wasn't like she could just knock on the door. No, she had to do this when they weren't looking or her mother's eyes would surely make her stop.

After a few attempts with a shaking hand and jangling keys, the door opened, creaking as it did so. The house was quiet, it was Sunday afternoon, so her Mom would be watching T.V. on the couch while her dad ate lunch sitting next to her, and then the two of them would lean on each other, until they drifted asleep right there, for their nap.

 _She ran back to Hogwarts, not even bothering with using the stupid tunnel or the map. In fact the second she was under the cover of the trees Hermione tore off the cloak as well._

 _Somehow she'd known the gates would be open, and they were, just like on the first day of school when they welcomed in every new and returning student. However she hadn't known Professor McGonagall would be on a mid-morning stroll of the grounds._

" _Miss Granger" the teacher asked, shocked with her students appearance. The girl was wearing a man's shirt and pants, her school cloak pulled roughly overtop. Worse than that, her eyes were rimmed in red and her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. "Is there anything I can do to help you right now my dear?"_

 _She hadn't meant to say it to her then. Actually she'd had a very organized meeting planned, where she would come to her office and explain to the Gryffindor head of house why she needed to do this, but right then a fire was burning in her gut, saying she needed to do it then._

" _Take me to see my parents please" she sobbed, "please"_

"Obliviate"

* * *

No post. Not a single letter.

Hermione had never gone a week without getting mail. Between her parents, Krum, the order and recently Fred, she'd always had people to correspond with. She had never realized how much she relied on it to feel connected to something outside Hogwarts, until she had to wait out the rest of the school year without it.

Hogwarts was beginning to feel more and more like a prison, rather than her home as it had for years. She went to classes, studied, talked to her friends, watched quidditch practices. She did everything she'd done normally before her birthday, she did it in the exact same way, and yet it felt crushing to her where it used to be freeing.

The only real change she'd made, was that she read the prophet obsessively. Each day she dragged herself out of bed, only with the thought of that paper arriving at breakfast. When the owl ran late, she ran late for class, and didn't care.

The articles were a consistent reminder that Voldemort was coming, but at this point she felt she needed it. Fred had been distracting. He'd put her in a bubble where she could see everything falling perfectly into place, meanwhile she was doing nothing to make things fall like that.

That simply wasn't how she needed to live her life. She was best friends with Harry Potter, and a muggleborn to boot. The witch couldn't afford to live in a bubble. No matter how much she wanted to.

So she left her dorm each day, and pushed herself in every class. She made her friends come with her to study and screamed encouragement at every quidditch practice they had. She talked with Ginny every day, and mustered up the smile to do so, no matter how much the younger witch reminded her of her brother. The girl even managed to speak with Ron on a daily basis, as though nothing had happened. As though the two friends hadn't shattered each other's hearts.

When exams finally came Hermione's hands shook for an entire week. Harry and Ron did their best to assure her that she was prepared, but every time she walked into a classroom for another one of those god-forsaken tests she was shot back with memories of how she spent her time in April, instead of studying like she needed to be.

After the tests she didn't have much reason to be studying. The teachers all let up on the workload after exams, and madam prince wouldn't even keep the library open as late as she did the rest of the schoolyear.

There was still research to be done, especially on Horcruxes. Harry had slowly been filling her in on his lessons with Dumbledore, and each time he fed her something new she realized how little they actually knew. Still, a person could only read so much out of books that were written by dark wizards, before they wanted to tear their hair out by the roots. So she limited herself to a single hour a day.

Instead she filled her time talking to Harry. The two of them hadn't had as much time for one another this year, so when he wasn't sneaking off with Ginny to the third floor, they were with one another, trying to put as many pieces together, before the year ended.

The only thing she couldn't stand to listen to was when Harry went on one of his Malfoy rants. The obsession had been a continuous thing throughout the year, but her 'laspe' had covered her view of its extent. If she hadn't known the boy better, she's say Harry was much more engulfed in Draco than Ginny.

* * *

Nowadays the most simple muggle tools seemed to be holding her together. They were all from her parents last care package to her. She hadn't written a single thing using a quill in ages, despite the weird looks she got from other students. Every day she came back to her dorm after classes and shimmied out of her school skirt and cloak into jeans and a muggle sweatshirt.

None of her friends had mentioned anything about it, but she could see the looks they shot her.

In fact, she could see Ron's head swivel to look at her, just as she clicked her pen open in order to begin her essay. But she never got it to touch the paper. Harry had burst into the common room, eyes wide as he rushed over to them.

"Hermione do you have the cloak?"

"No its still in your trunk." She said "I ended up not needing it"

Honestly she hadn't touch the cloak since the night she went to her parents, but she told Harry she did. The witch just wasn't yet in the mood to tell the two people who had known about it, that her secret relationship was over. Fred hadn't said anything to Ginny, and she didn't plan on mentioning it anytime soon.

"I have to Hurry. Dumbledore thinks I'm just running up here to get it" He said rummaging through his bag for something.

"Harry where's he taking you?" Hermione asked standing from the couch.

"That's not important right now," she opened her mouth to interrupt but he held up a hand and promised "I'll tell you as soon as I get back, but the important thing right now is that Dumbledore is going to be out of Hogwarts and Malfoy and Snape have something planned."

"You don't know that they…" it was Ron this time, but the younger cut him off.

"Trawaliny heard someone whooping while she went into the room of requirement. I know it was Malfoy, he finally figured something out, and since Snape knows Dumbledore is going to be gone, they're going to act tonight" He'd pulled the map and a pair of socks out of his bag. He pressed the paper into her hands and the socks he gave to Ron. "Gather everyone from the army, get ready. Dumbledore says he's put protections on the castle, but Snape will know about those. He won't know about us though." Harry smiled and turned to go up the steps.

"Wait, what do I need socks for mate?" Ron stopped him.

"Felix Felis is in there, enough for you, Hermione, and Ginny."

"Harry you don't know what you'll be facing, you need it more than us"

"No" he laughed "I'll have Dumbledore" and then the boy who lived ran up the stairs to fetch his cloak for a possible death mission, and Hermione wondered how he had survived in the months she hadn't paid him any mind.

* * *

For the longest time, Hermione had no idea what they were doing. Every member of Dumbledore's army had rushed to meet them as soon as their galleons had alerted them. She and Ron had filled the group in as to what was happening, and they'd spread through the castle in groups. Now she'd been sat hidden behind a statue, around the corner from the room of the requirement, for nearly an hour and she knew what they were doing.

She watched in fascination and horror as first Malfoy's name appeared on the map just outside the room, then his father's.

"What is it Mione?" Ron asked, so quiet she could barely hear him.

"There's too many of them for us to attack" she whispered back and watched just one second more as death eaters poured from the room "Nox"

 **AN: Okay so I did some edits, because I kept rereading the breakup scene and cringing because what made sense in my head didn't reflect in my writing. Then ontop of that I got a review telling me exactly what I thought was bad was true...**

 **It was just some very slight things that I am hoping will help clear up why she breaks up with him. It was confusing before, and it might still be a bit confusing now. I hope not.**

 **Review please!**

 **Mel**


	14. Chapter 13

**Birthday Present: Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

Darkness surrounded them. Not a single Lumos would work. She, Ron, and Neville were just ambling through it, trying to find where it ended. They could hear the death eaters, cackling as they walked by, but didn't dare fire off any spells. She was gripping neville's upper arm, and Ron had a hold on her jumper, not wanting to lose one another.

When they finally emerged into a corridor with light, there were no death eaters in sight.

"Peruvian darkness powder" Ron muttered, staring at the hall they'd just come out of. The blackness sat there like a dark curtain, seeping out towards them.

"Fred and George's?" It was Neville who had asked. Hermione knew of course, but she couldn't find it in her to speak.

"Yeah, that lot could see through it, or at least Malfoy could and he was leading them. That dumb hand he carries around…."

"The hand of glory," she finished for him. "It gives light only to the holder."

Ron nodded grimly and gestured to the map. She opened it once more and immediately found the line of footprints Malfoy was leading.

"Alecto, and Amycus Carrow." She read aloud and then the names she recognized, "Rowle, Gibbon,Yaxley, Selwyn, and Greyback" she breathed.

Neville looked as though he might puke, but Ron suddenly got excited.

"But look the order's here!" his finger trailed the words _Remus Lupin,_ and _William Weasley,_ on the map, only a few halls from where they were now. They didn't wait to take off in that direction.

* * *

She was locked in a fight with the male Carrow when she saw Harry trying to push through the fight. The sight distracted her for just a second too long. She hit the castle floor, but managed to keep hold of her wand. Still the death eater toward over her.

"Cru…" she braced herself for the pain that was to come, knowing she would scream and hating herself for it.

"Impedimenta!" Harry's spell stopped the brother short and as he fumbled, her friend helped her to her feet and took off running through the fighting once more.

"Harry!" she called, running with him. "Where are you going?"

"Snape!" he shouted "I have to catch up…" whatever he said next was lost in the sound of a booming. The tall blonde death eater had been shouting curses in random directions, so she wasn't surprised when the ground shook and she stumbled.

Hermione tried to gain her footing and go after Harry once more, but her eyes caught on Neville lying on the ground. She raced to get to him.

The witch was knocked off her feet only yards away from her friend. A spell had hit her in the side and she rolled a few times. It seemed her luck was running out. For the second time that night a death eater had her under him. This time it was the blonde, and it was probably the only spell he'd actually aimed at anyone that night.

"Avada Kedavra" he screeched just as she got out.

"Stupify!"

She could see the green flash, flying directly towards her eyes, and then she was yanked suddenly away by two hands, hauling her by the shoulders.

The girl didn't even wait to see who had saved her. Snape had screamed something and the death eaters were running away now. She began running after them, shooting hexes faster than she could think of them. Her heart was racing and it was all she knew to do.

As she neared the end of the hall, where Harry had disappeared a minute ago, she stopped short.

A body was lying face down in the hallway. Tattered robes concealed their form, but vibrant red hair spread around their head, like a halo.

Lupin rushed passed her then, to cradle the person, but all she could do was turn on her heel to look for him. Their group looked much smaller now than it had during the battle, but she searched every face. Surely if he had been here, she would have seen him. Then again, she hadn't seen Tonks until just now as she looked through the crowd.

Ron's face startled her for a moment. Between his height and the blood smeared across his face (from what looked like a broken nose, apparently his luck ran out as well) he looked shockingly like George. She whipped to look at the person on the ground once more, her breath caught in her throat.

Remus voice was what brought her out of her daze. "Bill!" he shouted shaking the person on the floor. Once it was clear that he would not be getting up on his own the ex-professor levitated him. "We need to get him to the infirmary, immediately."

She stood there, the rest of the army and the order passing her by to follow Lupin to the infirmary. Ron ran straight past her, in an attempt to reach his older brother. It was Neville that took her arm at the end of the line of people and led her along.

* * *

Harry spoke for ages. He told the entire story, from arriving with Dumbledore, to witnessing his death, and finding his body below the astronomy tower. She only listened through half of it. The news of the headmaster's death was shocking, but only for a minute.

Dumbledore had always struck her as the type to be surprised by nothing. She doubted even this had shocked him. From the way he'd been acting lately, she actually wasn't in shock.

That wasn't the right way to put it. She _was_ in shock. The witch kept glancing back and forth between the brothers currently present. Ron's face was a bloodied mess, but Bill's was only blood. If someone hadn't told her she never would have guessed it was him.

There was a brief argument between Mrs. Weasley and Fluer, when they arrived, but her brain didn't possess any of the words. She only stared at him in wonder. From the way Madam Promfry spoke, it was clear he would survive, but not in the same state as he'd been before. The medi witch was still running around doing everything in her power to heal the cursebreaker, so it was obviously bad. Lupin was arguing with Tonks, and she only stared at him.

When Ron touched her shoulder, and asked if she needed anything, she realized that he hadn't yet been seen to. His nose was as crooked as it could be, and he hadn't even mopped up the blood. It was drying above his lips, in the most unattractive fashion possible.

She didn't respond, only pulled him to another bed, far from the others and closed the curtain.

"Mione?" he asked, watching her warily.

"Relax, I just wanted to feel a little…. Separated from that. So I could concentrate."

She pulled out her wand and his eyes went wide.

"Don't worry, I've helped Promfry in here before, I've done a dozen broken noses. And she doesn't have the time to see you right now"

He sighed, and then immediately scrunched up his features in pain.

"Merlin, does that hurt."

"You did a good job pretending it didn't in front of everyone else," she murmered silently practicing the wand movement. It had been a while since she'd come in here. Last year she'd decided to help after quidditch practices were held, but this year she hadn't had time.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, giving what should have been a smirk and turned into a grimace. "Do you think the death eaters were scared" he joked.

"Positively terrified" she said back "you are the scariest looking panda I've ever seen"

It was true, his eyes had become rimmed in deep purple since the break had been left.

He gave a small chuckle and them let out a muffled 'ow'.

"Alright, alright" she giggled and leaned over him on the bed. "Hold very still or I might end up misplacing your jaw"

"Wha-" he said as she grabbed hold of the end of his nose and quickly cast the spell.

Hermione could feel and hear the bones sliding back into place under her fingers. It was one of the most terrifying and most interesting feelings in the world. To know that you were moving something within a person's body, without even touching it. She'd once tried to explain the sensation to her parents and it hadn't worked well.

" _You must know sort of what I mean" she'd said after trying a couple of times to explain it. "You're dentists, don't you ever get a strange feeling when you're fixing someone's teeth"_

" _Well I suppose it was fascinating when I first started working" her mother had responded, pushing her chicken around on her plate. Hermione remembered she hadn't been feeling well that night._

" _Yeah, by now its sort of just work" her father shrugged, "Doing something for so long numbs the interesting aspect of the job. No matter what you do"_

" _Do you not even remember though?" she'd asked desperately._

" _I'm afraid to say I don't" he laughed, and her mother had agreed._

Hermione pushed back the memory of her parents, and let go of Ron's nose. She blushed realizing she'd been looking straight into his eyes, but not really seeing them at all.

"It looks good" she said before even glancing at his nose. The witch hurried to grab a washcloth and return to wipe off his face.

"Actually it looks really good" she said again, a bit in shock as she removed the blood marring her view. "I think it looks better than before"

"What?" Ron asked and stood from the bed. He rummaged through the drawers and finally found a mirror in the bottom one. "Bloody hell Hermione" he muttered looking at his face. "You fixed my nose, even the nurses at Mungos couldn't manage that"

She'd heard the story of how Fred and George had turned his teddy into a spider a million times, and how he had run into a tree in fright. His second oldest brother had done his best to fix Ron's nose before their mother could see (having given the twins the idea, Charlie had also been a culprit, even if he'd only meant it as a theoretical joke). Unfortunately Charlie had only ever preformed the spell on his own nose, and claimed it was 'completely different' to do on another person.

It had ended up with the youngest brother having a much worse time than he would have originally. They'd needed to take him to Mungo's and the witches there had been able to fix him, but only barely. He'd had bandages over his face for a month, and the bump had never gone away, along with the slight tilt it had going to the right.

Ron ran his hand over his new nose in shock. If you hadn't known him well enough, it wouldn't be much of a noticeable difference. However, Hermione couldn't deny that his face looked much more…symmetrical. And scarily enough, much more like his older brother's did than ever before.

"Does it look weird to you?" he asked putting down the mirror.

She blinked in surprise "I suppose it's a bit strange because its different, but you look…"

He stared her down expectantly.

"You look older. The crooked looked a bit... childish"

Her red haired friend blushed and looked at the floor.

"Sorry" she whispered and reached up to wipe at the corner of her eye with her bloodied jumper. "Just tonight and all, has me thinking a lot about how we aren't kids anymore."

"Mione, I'm not going to tell you, you're wrong. You're never wrong" he laughed, "We are growing up, much faster than we should have been allowed. But it would have had to come some time, and its not as though its completely over. We all still have one last summer with our parents, one last trip to come pick you up, and then go and get Harry. Even if we aren't here next year, we need to focus on what we have left."

Blood gushed into her mouth from where she'd bit her lip when he'd mentioned summer with their parents.

"Ron, I need to ask you to do something for me"

"Anything"

"When we leave on the Hogwarts express, I-I would very much appreciate if I could just come to the burrow immediately." She stared at the floor as she spoke. The words felt robotic, and she wrapped her arms around her torso to help keep herself from shaking.

"Don't you want to see your parents, before?"

"I can't" she said voice cracking "They don't remember me" The witch rushed "They, I mean I had to send them away. The death eaters would have targeted them during the war, I couldn't risk them being found."

He stepped forward then and took one of her hands into both of his. The castle had felt cold all night, but his hands were as warm as the common room's fireplace.

"You obliviated them" he stated, more than asked.

She gave a weak nod, and then found herself wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly, and she wept into his chest. It felt so good, just to say the words aloud to someone.

As she pressed her eyes into his jumper, Hermione remembered something. This was precisely the Ronald Weasley she'd never wanted to lose in the first place. The one she'd wanted to love so desperately, just so she wouldn't lose this friend. This friend that distracted her in the situations he knew she would panic over. This friend who comforted her, even when his brother was sat on the other end of the room, with a torn up face. This friend that laughed at himself for her enjoyment, and thanked her for everything she'd ever done for him.

She came to the startling realization then that Ronald Weasley was one of the most beautiful men (he was a man now) she'd ever met. As she pulled away from his hug just a moment, Hermione adjusted to the lighting once more, she saw that did not look as much like Fred as he had just a second ago. And she did not want to kiss him at all, like she had a second ago.

"Thank you" she whispered, and leaned into the hug again.

After tonight, after witnessing how well they fought even with luck on their side, she realized that even if one of her mistakes didn't tear Ron and her apart, something else might. This war might tear them apart, tear her away from Harry or Ginny. It had already taken her parents.

There were too many things out of her control that could do that to them, she decided. The last thing she needed was to create a new one by seeing Fred. These hugs from Ron might not be around in a year, so she squeezed hard, and asked Merlin for help.

* * *

Dumbledore's funeral was more of a blur than she thought it would be. Her body had gone of course. She'd been present physically, but her mind had been in a million other places. The whole situation was sort of surreal. Of course she hadn't felt surprised the night it happened, but now she thought it was more out adrenaline and distraction. That she'd been far too put out of the situation by everything else that had happened within the castle.

Now the truth about the headmaster's death was hitting her in the face each time she looked up at that gleaming white casket. Looking at it made her want to vomit, so she stared at the ground.

That and the fact that the Weasleys were present, all except Percy. She couldn't look around without having her eyes wander to him. It had felt like a brick to the head the night she'd thought Bill was Fred. Since then, there'd been dreams, all that ended much worse than what had actually happened. They certainly hadn't helped her insomnia, or her resolution to stay away from him in order to keep her friends.

Each time she couldn't manage to stop looking at him she hoped he would look back. She just wanted a second, to make sure he was okay. Instead she looked up and locked gazes with George, who just gave the slightest of shakes, as though to tell her she needed to stop, and then turned back to look at the speaker.

After the processions, she found Ron standing next to his mother.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley," she said as she walked up to the duo, "Have you been okay lately"

As she said it, guilt bit into her just a bit. Usually Ron would allow her to have the end of his letters to his mum so she could say just a few civil things to the woman, and also check his spelling before he sent it off. Then in her letters back, she usually wrote a section for Hermione as well. That hadn't happened since Christmas, and she hoped the mother wouldn't hold anything against her.

She didn't get an answer, but the older witch wrapped her arms around her and squeezed hard enough she wondered if this was actually meant to be a strangle rather than a sign of affection.

"You never have to ask to stay with us dear," she heard the woman assure her "You are always welcome at the burrow."

Hermione gave Ron a sharp look over his mum's shoulder.

' _I didn't tell her'_ he mouthed.

She let out a sigh and hugged her back. "Thank you so much, I really do appreciate it."

Finally Molly pulled back "It's nothing dear, I love having you around. And please, I've asked more times than I can count, call me mum"

* * *

The train ride back from Hogwarts, came all too soon, and all too slow at the same time. Her days dragged on. They filled themselves with nothing but eating, wandering the castle mindless, and horcrux research. At night she sat with Ron, and Ginny in the common room, talking mostly about Harry. The boy who lived had hardly done anything since the night in the astronomy tower. Some days he missed every meal, and it was driving Ginny bonkers, which in turn was making Ron uncomfortable.

He finally said it aloud on the one night that was fairly memorable out of her last weeks at Hogwarts.

His sister had just gone up the steps to her dorm for the night (tears in her eyes from the conversation they had just had) when he murmured slowly "I think Gin still has that crush on Harry"

She couldn't help it. Laughter had not left her body in weeks, and she couldn't hold it in. The giggles spilled out of her faster than she knew what she was doing. The concept of his shock seemed so _ridiculous_ after hearing years of the poor girl groaning or her bed about how Harry wouldn't notice her.

"What?" he asked pushing himself up on the sofa. "What do you know"

His serious glare and questions weren't helping the situation. She heaved trying to regain her breath, only to look up at his expectant face and fall into another fit of laughter.

It came to a point where she wasn't sure how her body was still sustaining enough oxygen to function, and Ron stood clearly angry. Despite his deadly face, and multiple threats to tell him what the two had going on, she couldn't manage to collect herself long enough to form a proper sentence.

Finally he stormed up the stairs to the boys dorms, and Hermione was able to bite her lip and calm down. There was a brief moment she panicked. She had just –inadvertently- told Ron about their relationship. They had covered for her for months and one look had her spilling everything. But then her muddled, sleep deprived brain (it was nearly 3am) told her that things would surely work out between the boys, and she too trudged up the stairs to go to bed.

The next morning, she saw Ginny sitting next to Harry at breakfast. At the end of the meal, the younger witch leaned over and pecked her boyfriend's cheek, saying "Meet me at the library before dinner love?"

He nodded in agreement, and Hermione could feel Ron stiffen next to her. He didn't speak until Gin ways out of earshot. "That is going to take a little getting used to"

"Thanks mate"

And that was the end of that.

If only her love life could be so simple.

* * *

 **AN: I'm not sure how long I'm going to torture you all.**

 **Review please!**

 **Mel**


	15. Chapter 14

Birthday Present: Chapter Fourteen

* * *

Here, she could almost convince herself there was nothing for her to worry over. In past summers she hadn't liked how the burrow was so far in the country. She was a girl that liked to be around people and chaos when she felt like it, and retreat to her room when she did not. Being so far out, trips into the public had to be planned out for days in advance. There was no compulsive walks through London, and when she did leave and got tired, she could not simply come back after a quick nap.

This year was much different. The papers alone were enough to convince her to stay away. And the fresh air did wonders for her ever growing list of worries. Chores (that Mrs. Weasley insisted she was doing too much of,) kept her mind off things she hadn't able to ignore during school.

And her worst fear for the summer had been swept off the table. The twins had only come around a handful of times, times she'd been able to avoid through carefully planned walks and napping. She'd expected to spend most of her free time talking to Ginny, but the poor girl was much too busy worrying over harry to focus much on anything else.

Instead she hauled every book she'd stashed in her trunk before the school year ended, up to Ron's room. They kept much the same routine they had at Hogwarts. Spending nighttime to talk and figure out the best course of action for the months to come. Only now she was including him in her Horcrux research, and he was proving incredibly helpful.

"Well we need to find them all" he'd said one night as she explained again how many there were, and how they would keep Harry from finishing him off.

"Yes, but the problem is we have no idea where to begin." She said sighing and rubbing her temples from the growing migraine.

"Yes, but we aren't going to be able to figure it out if we stay on the grid"

Her eyes shot open and looked at him. "What are you suggesting?"

"Mione we already know we can't go back to school, but we can't stay here either."

She was embarrassed to say she felt her face go white at the thought "But I thought your family had some sort of blood magic on this place," the witch sputtered "Generations of Weasley magic protecting it."

"Yeah, and Hogwarts goes back even farther, with even more families involved, but I think if 'you know who' knew that Harry was in there, they wouldn't be able to stop him."

He was right, that was the exact reason they'd decided not to go back. She hadn't considered his house being dangerous as well though.

"How will we do it?" she said mind whirling. They could stay at her parents for a while. It didn't have blood magic around it, but the house was in her name and she could give it some basic wards. Then again, if the death eaters were already watching it, if she hadn't gotten her parents out fast enough, then she might just be leading her friends into a trap.

"We can use dad's tent" his voice cut off her mental string of ideas "the one from the world cup"

Hermione blinked at him in surprise. She remembered the tent. It had been very spacious, and comfortable, but they would still need so many things.

"How will we make that work, think about getting food, checking the papers.."

"We'll manage, it won't be for long" he said cutting her off, but then a sudden thought occurred to her and she had to continue.

"The toilet Ron." She hissed.

He laughed at her, and not long after she began gathering her things and went down to Ginny's room to sleep.

As she lie awake in bed, Hermione couldn't help but think about what he'd said. At first the idea seemed ludicrous. Three wizards, barely of age, being hunted, living in a tent, and attempting to kill the greatest evil wizard to ever live?

And then the positives began to pile in her mind. They could move around easily, and that greatly reduced the chance of being caught. She could put up wards to shield them from anyone who might even wander into them. The tent was large and she was 97% sure that she could use that spell they'd learned in arithmacy to put an endless extension charm on a bag (theoretically at least, she'd never actually tried it, but had done several papers on the one spell). And best of all, they wouldn't be putting anybody else in any more danger than they had to.

It was actually pretty ingenious, she thought as her breathing evened and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 _A rose-gold halo surrounded a bloodied face lying on the ground at her feet. She was rooted to the spot, her eyes stuck on the man lying below her on the castles cold stone floor. Her lungs stopped functioning and her brain shut down._

 _A voice was screaming at her, but she didn't process any words. Slowly, her neck lifted just the slightest to see George leaning over his fallen twin, his mouth open in a snarl._

 _Blood poured from his features, his neck, his nails, staining the perfectly tailored maroon suit of a successful business man. It seeped though his locks. Changing them from that golden, red- that only a Weasley would have naturally- into a crimson so dark in the lighting, it almost looked black._

 _Finally a voice cut through her shock, and surprising enough it wasn't George._

 _"You did this" Ginny screeched, standing behind her twin brothers. Her hand curled around her olive wood wand, but it was held down at her hips. Clearly more of a grasp for comfort, than an actual threat. Still she tried to step back, and found herself glued to her spot._

 _"He was protecting you" she continued, tears in her eyes. "You left him and he still saved you"_

 _She opened her mouth to answer, but as hard as she tried, nothing came out of her._

 _"What is she talking about Mione" her vision swiveled and she found herself turned the opposite way, without ever having felt her feet move. "Why did Fred protect you, when did you leave him?" Ron asked, not looking angry, or even emotional, but it made her sob._

 _She still couldn't speak, but her cries echoed off the stone arches, matching in tempo with Georges. They mixed in the world's worst cacophony of grief._

 _Her vision changed again, and this time she found herself lying down. The soft white sheets were familiar and welcome. She turned, so used to it, that she expected to find Fred lying next to her in his boxers, grinning like a loon._

 _Instead he was still in his suit, dried blood cracked on his skin, sticking his hairs to the, otherwise, clean pillows._

 _If she hadn't known his body so well, she'd say it was one of his brothers, wearing his clothes, and lying in his bed. But there was no mistaking that mole on his upper left temple- it was just a little too dark to be George's._

 _This time her cries came silently. And she leaned over his chest, holding his hand like it might come back to steady her, and calm her down._

 _She felt her hand being squeezed back and opened her eyes…._

Hermione was back in Ginny's room, the other girl was sitting next to her bed, and gripping her hand. She wasn't looking at her, but as she sat up, the red head looked towards her.

"Are you okay? She asked quietly, and Hermione could see tears in her eyes as well "You wouldn't wake up, nothing I did was working,"

"I'm fine, a bad dream is all" she assured and looked around her. It was still dark out, but the sun was clearly reaching the horizon from the pink haze that lingered there. "I'm sorry if I woke you"

"Don't be sorry Mione, that was terrifying to watch, I can't imagine what you had to see"

She jerked back, surprised "what did I do"

"You were screaming and crying for nearly an hour Hermione, you looked like someone was torturing you….. I tried to go get mum, but you wouldn't let go of my hand, my wand was across the room"

"Merlin, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"

"What on earth were you dreaming about?"

"My parents" she lied "I just… worry about them a lot"

The other girl nodded, and stood from the floor. "I'm going down to make tea, do you want some?"

Her heart panged at the thought of Lavender, and how nice the girl had been in her last months at school. She actually missed her roommate.

"I'll come down as well"

The girls were quiet in the kitchen. Ginny bustled around making a pot for the two of them, while Hermione sat at the counter considering her dream. It wasn't the first. Actually it was one of many. It worried her more than she'd ever admit, if only she could obliviate him and send him away like she had her parents…

No. She couldn't. And she couldn't hash things out with him either. That much she had promised herself wouldn't happen. She couldn't do it to her friends anymore.

But she could make another promise to herself. She was good about keeping those…

Hermione Jean Granger would protect Fred Weasley during this war. Even if it killed her.

* * *

No matter how many flying lessons she had forced herself into, Hermione was not prepared to ride on a broom from the Dursley's back to the burrow. The mere sight of shaklebolt sitting on his broom, waiting for her to climb on, made her stomach twist.

But the only other mode of transportation was Hagrid's bike. That was something she could never take from Harry. He'd arrived at the house that way, and would leave that way as well. So she bit her lip, gripped her wand, and climbed on.

The death eaters took no time to get on their tail. They'd expected that. Everything Dumbledore had told Snape was out in open. The only thing they had to protect them was that they wouldn't know who the real Harry was.

She did her best to fend off the ones behind her. Shaklebolt was doing his best to control the broom, but between the wind, and her movements behind him, there was no way he'd manage to get off any spells of his own. So she twisted, and sent off curse after curse, aimed in no direction, with no knowledge of exactly what she was saying. None made their target, and her _protegos_ were only going so far.

So far above the London skyline, Hermione realized that she needed to go on offense, and this was not the positon to do it in. With a final glance at the man flying her broom, she swung both her legs over one side, and fired off a shield charm. Another swing of her leg and her back was to shacklebolt, left hand gripping the end of the broom, right free to fire spells.

Now it was a fight.

* * *

She climbed off the broom with shaking legs, and vile in her throat. The witch had never imagined she could do such a thing. Turning around on the broom had been enough to make her heart rate rise, but knocking a death eater off his broom had been another thing.

The scream was pounding in her ears. He'd yelled and flailed, but neither of his friends had tried to catch him. He'd sounded far too much like Goyle for her liking.

Her body morphed back within a few steps onto the grass. Harry's clothing became long on her shorter stature, but she dragged her feet into the house, not caring about the mud that would stain the bottom of his jeans.

One of the twins was lying on the couch, but before she could push forward, Harry was next to her (or who she assumed was the real Harry) and whispered that Snape had used one of the books spells, and cut off George's ear.

"Bastard" she murmured, and stopped herself from trying to get to Fred, who was holding his twin's hand like a lifeline.

"Let's get you upstairs" Harry said, looking at her still shaking.

* * *

The wedding was only a few days away, and for the first time all summer, she was actually being a _sked_ to do things instead of asking. She hadn't stopped all day, and by now she was famished.

But as she walked into the kitchen she realized there were two extra heads present. Usually the twins came around Wednesday nights and she would plan to miss dinner, but George must have still been in st. mungos on Wednesday.

His head was still heavily bandaged from where Snape had cut off his ear. She eventually walked in, and hoped that if anyone noticed her staring, they would think it was because of George, and not his twin.

"Haven't seen you all day Mione" Ron joked as she sat next to him at the end of the table.

"Yeah, I suppose we got put on different duties today didn't we?" she said back, doing her best to smile at him. The Weasley matriarch had had them all going crazy with chores. The past week she'd spent nearly every moment of her day with Ron, prepping things for the wedding. Today however, he'd been sent one way and she another.

"Only because I've caught on to you two" Molly chirped, levitating a few more plates to the table with a practiced ease.

Ron gave his mother a pleading look, but Hermione noticed nothing and asked "What?"

"Well I know you don't mean to be a distraction dear, but I do believe Ron got a lot more work done today with the boys"

She flushed just a little and laughed good naturedly.

"Yeah you two best stop making out behind the shed" George said, because it was something that she usually wouldn't blink an eye at one of the twins saying, but he gave it none of the flavor his jokes normally held. Actually this one had notes of… disgust and definite anger. "Mum will hunt you down" he continued in a dull monotone, as he stared at his plate, pushing around his peas.

Now Hermione felt herself go red and she looked up at miss Weasley "We would never," she assured, glancing at Fred, just out of the corner of her eye. He didn't respond.

But as soon as she looked away he spoke, with a much better prankster voice than his brother had pulled off "Oh no they would never, Ronniekins a good boy"

Anger began boiling in the bottom of her stomach, and she had half a mind to stand and scream at him like he'd done to her just months ago. But there was a wedding in two days, she was a guest in their home, and would soon be stealing their youngest son and his best friend to go on a wild goose chase, so she stared at her plate until dinner was over.

The twins didn't stay long after the meal, so she managed to transfigure the cover of one of Horcrux textbooks and go down to the family room to read. She sat there scanning the pages long after most the lights had been cut off, and the others had retreated to bed. By now she could go to bed, (Ron usually came down to sit with her, but he hadn't yet had a night alone with Harry, she couldn't blame him for wanting a little time with his best friend) but every few minutes she would see something relatively interesting and push herself to go just a page more.

Just as she was letting out a sigh and moved to close the book, a voice startled her.

"What are you reading that's interesting enough to keep you up so late?"

She jerked at the sound of Arthur's voice, but had enough sense in her to hold the book up and show him its cover.

He gave a hearty laugh "Hogwarts a History, how ironic"

"What do you mean by that." She asked snapping closed the book, so he wouldn't notice its content.

"The first time you ever infatuated one of my sons he came home over summer and read my copy front to back- three times."

She blushed and stood, collecting her things to take upstairs "Mr. Weasley I don't know what Fred has told you, but we aren't seeing each other anymore"

"Yes that much I know" he said lightly, a small smile on his features. "But I would greatly appreciate it if you explained to me just _why?"_

That was the last thing she wanted to do, but she really didn't have a choice in conditions like this. So she retold the story of the day it had happened and what they'd discussed.

"I was afraid it would be something like that" he sighed.

"I should have seen it coming," she whispered "I should have known it was stupid. Anyone who'd ever met the two of us would have told me that much"

"Actually, I think you two made a brilliant pair, but I'm afraid Fred has always been just as self-depreciating of himself as Ron, only less open about it."

"I'm not saying he didn't have to go through things he shouldn't have because of the way Ron acts, but I am saying that he was partially the cause of those actions."

"That is a definite my dear," he said and her heart panged for her own father "But he doesn't see it that way quite yet,"

"What are you suggesting?" she asked with a scrunched brow.

"What I am saying is, that as grown up as he seems to you, Fred is not quite a man yet. He hasn't figured out his faults, just as you can't quite pinpoint yours. That doesn't make him a bad person."

"Are you asking me to give him a second chance?"

"Something like that,"

* * *

AN: Kind of filler-ish, but it was all necessary. Next chapter has the wedding….

Also, next weeks chapter will be the last I post on Birthday Present. I've decided to start a new story that is a complete continuation of this one. There is a small time gap between the two and the next one is called Lost and Found. Instead of posting every Friday, Lost and Found shall be posted once weekly, only on Saturdays for my own convenience with classes.

Thank you and, Please Review!

Mel


	16. Chapter 15 : Fin

**Birthday Present: Chapter 15**

 **Sorry I updated late, my internet wasn't working properly yesterday.**

* * *

The day before the wedding she got placed with Ron once more, only now it was him and all of his brothers. Even Charlie was home now. They transfigured nearly everything in the house in order to have enough chairs for all the guests. The boys dragged things outside, while she, Ginny, Bill, and Fred transfigured them once they had been brought out.

Ron brought every one of his boxes to her, recognizing that she was most certainly the fastest of the group. Bill noticed as well.

"You've been brought more things than any of the rest of us" he commented, just as Ron set down another box. "And you still aren't falling behind"

"She's McGonagall's favorite for a reason" his youngest brother said grinning.

"Oh no she's not" Bill said, his wand stopped "I am most certainly Minerva's favorite"

"You call her Minerva" Hermione said with a raised brow "You are not her favorite"

Bill looked aghast "I never realized how rude your girlfriend was Ron"

"She is not my girlfriend" Ron said at the same time Hermione said.

"We're not dating."

"Oh not yet" he said laughing "But you will"

Hermione's face flamed, it seemed his entire family was stuck on this idea.

* * *

"Please stop" Were the first words that came out of his mouth as he approached his eldest brother later that night.

"Excuse me" he asked turning to his- not so little- little brother. Ronnie nearly met him eye to eye now, and he wasn't even done growing yet. Which only meant he had to tease him just that much more "I do hope you mean something other than the fact that I'm getting married tomorrow"

"Stop making little comments about Hermione and I." he said, with as much confidence as he could muster. "Especially the things you say to mum and dad"

"I'm just picking fun with you Ronnie" he said shoving his hands in his pockets. "You're my youngest brother, and you've practically had a witch waiting to marry you since you were in first year."

"But she doesn't want to marry me" Ron burst "We've all had this assumption for years that the two of us would end up together, and –and it got into my head. You and mum, and dad, and the twins all made me infatuated with this girl, and I don't think I ever would have actually began liking her, had you all not put it into my head that it was what I was meant to do."

The scarred man looked down at his brother in shock. "Well we all just thought it was funny, and you two were so close…."

"Because she'd my best friend" he responded desperately "We are always going to be best friends, I like having her as a friend."

"Are you telling me you don't like her"

He shook his head "I do, but I don't think I ever would have had you all not convinced me to like her that way" he muttered "I used to see her like my sister, I was protective of her and I enjoyed spending time with her. Then you all got it into my head that I was supposed to marry her, that it would make mum happy. So I had to try and start thinking about her… in a different light"

"Ron, you're going to make mum and dad proud no matter who you marry" he said laughing just a little.

"Yeah? Try explaining that to third year me!" he exploded "I spent all year trying to like her, and then when I finally did I got upset at everything I was doing. Nothing made her like me back, and nothing ever will!"

He tried to open his mouth, but Ron spoke right over him "I didn't even think about how I'd begun liking her to begin with, and why it was wrong, until I finally told her and she shot me down!"

 _That bitch,_ shot through William's head faster than he could comprehend what he was saying "Does that little no-it all think she's too good for my little brother"

"No" he said shoving his brother back, which make bill realize he'd started forward as though to go downstairs and yell at the witch. "She just thinks of me as her brother, and I want to get back to thinking about her as my sister, but you need to stop making all these comments, every time you do it distracts me. I start getting flustered around her again and wanting to hold her."

"Have you ever thought that maybe you just like her"

"Yeah, but I don't want to, and I'm not going to lose her as my friend just because I can't squash a stupid crush. So stop. Stop saying shit about us, and stop saying things to mum and dad. You're giving them the wrong idea too."

"I haven't said anything to mum and dad" he said then.

"Mum told me one of you lot told her Hermione and I were being 'coupley' while we worked" he said with air quotes around the word as he spoke "It was before Charlie got here, and Ginny already promised me it wasn't her."

The oldest Weasley brother gave a shrug "It must have been one of the twins."

* * *

Her dress was dazzling. Hermione had known she would look beautiful. Fleur always did, but in a wedding dress…. She couldn't even blame the boys for drooling. The veela pheromones were getting to her even.

Ginny looked gorgeous as well. People always said that the Weasley hair was a vibrant red, like the Gryffindor crimson. But she would argue that in most lighting it was a rose gold…. Like a purified mixture of their house colors. Her shimmering dress only highlighted the effect.

Bill was radiating happiness. To the point where she hadn't even noticed his scars past him smile, until Harry commented on how well he was healing.

Ron looked more like a man than ever before. It was the first time she'd seen him dressed so nicely- outside of aunt murial's robes. It didn't help that he was standing next to Charlie and towering over his brother by a half foot. (Though Charlie was the shortest of the brothers….) She kept glancing back and forth between him and Bill. She'd never noticed how much he'd grown into a copy of his eldest brother. They were roughly the same height, with the same build. Their faces were less freckled than any of the other siblings, and (now that Ron's was fixed) their noses had the exact same slight upward curve at the end. It even came down to their eyebrows shaped the same, and their eyes matching shades of metallic blue.

If Ron were to be attacked by greyback, grow out his hair, and get an earring, the two would look as identical as the twins. Or rather, as identical as the twins had looked two weeks ago….

Bill and Fluer's vows made Mrs. Weasley cry- as expected. Their couple's dance was a mass of twirling and joy that came off of them in waves. It was a strange feeling actually, she'd been to plenty of weddings. But they were only ever muggle ones. This one hit her in the chest to watch, gave her goosebumps through most of the ceremony.

Hermione felt pure happiness, just from being present. It was like being pumped full of laughing gas. Someone was pushing the feeling straight into her veins, and making her magic buzz under her skin. When she spotted Krum, she couldn't stop her face from lighting up. The recognition of an old friend and her current joy, was enough to make her jump up to hug him.

When he asked her to dance, she grabbed his hand and ran with him to the dancefloor. In comparison to her last few months, tonight was a haven, and one that would be gone too soon- she knew- so she danced with her old friend.

He twirled her, and they exchanged stories of their time together in 4rth year, when they would wander around the castle, laughing as they did. Back then she'd studied the way he spoke carefully, so she could always make out his broken English, and she still remembered everything.

When they got tired, the two sat for drinks, enough time for her to speak briefly with Harry and Ron, before they went back out. It felt almost like the yule ball, only without the heartbreak.

Eventually she spun away and turned back to find none other than her best friend, speaking to Victor. Krum smiled at the redhead, and walked off with a wave to her. Ron took her hand and was about to grasp her waste, when he seemed to remember something.

"I asked Victor if I could have your next dance, but forgot to ask you"

She smiled up at him. His manners had much improved since fourth year. "Of course"

Then he did grasp her waste (not too low and not too high, she noted). And they began their steps. He was good about not stepping on her feet, though he had to look down a lot, out of embarrassment or to check his feet, she didn't know.

He didn't need to though. It was a classic wizarding dance, and he knew it better than she.

"Did McGonagall scare you enough into learning how to dance," she teased breaking their silence, and making him finally look her in the eye.

"No, I went to a lot of parties when I was young. All my parents friends were getting married or celebrating their children's birth and I had to learn the steps of at least one dance, or I'd seem rude."

"How adorable" she giggled "I can imagine a little you dancing at parties, but who did you dance with?"

Her friend shrugged "Ginny mostly, she was so little it wouldn't matter if I messed up. If aunt Muriel was there she would always wrangle me into one dance with her."

"I wish I had a photo of that"

"I'm surprised mum hasn't already shown you them all."

"Before we leave" she whispered "Remind me to get a copy of one of them."

"Mione, I'll be with you the entire time"

"That's not a definite" she hissed back "We don't have any idea what is going to happen to us. I already have enough pictures of Harry, I managed to talk his aunt Petunia into giving me a box of ones she'd gotten that had him in there 'accidentally'."

"And how do you plan on taking these all with us."

She glanced at her beaded bag, sitting at the table next to Ginny. "Actually I have them all with me right now"

"How?" he asked scanning her up and down.

"You'll see when the time comes" she laughed. "I have everything ready."

"Of course you do" he muttered "You always do"

"Its my job" she responded, a haughty tone in her voice, like she was back in first year.

"Alright Mum"

She pushed him, but he fell back into step quickly.

Quick enough to narrowly avoid a red hex that had been shot directly at his head.

She whipped around, wand in hand to see a patronus flying into the center of the room. Kingsly Shaklebolt's voice came when it opened its mouth _"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."_

She didn't wait to hear anymore. Already she could see death eaters approaching the tent, and apparating into the crowd. And unless that hex had been a lucky shot, they'd already targeted the two of them.

Hermione made a b-line for their table, where harry was waiting on them (thankfully disguised as one of Ron's cousins).

"Grab his hand" she shouted to Ron.

Then she took hold of her beaded bag off the table, Ginny giving her one last terrified look, and apparated.

* * *

The remnants of Bills wedding were coming back slowly to him. Partially through things George and Charlie told him, and partially when someone said something that triggered a memory.

"You were terrifying mate" George said the moment his eyes opened, the morning after.

"What" he reached up, and found stiches across his forehead. Wizards didn't do stiches, unless there was no spell to heal it fast enough.

"I don't think I've ever been so scared" he continued, not really giving an answer, "Not even when I realized I'd lost an ear."

He sat up then "What are you on about Forge?"

"Last night" his twin croaked "You killed a death eater."

That made him move "What death eaters?"

Slowly George gave him a few pieces of the tale, and then they'd gone downstairs for breakfast and things started coming back.

Now he could almost put them all together.

 _The chaos seemed to start only moments after he sent down his fourth firewhiskey shot, and fired off that one harmless little hex, at his younger brother's head._

 _Then people were screaming, running like their lives depended on it, and they very likely did. The shot glass fell from his left hand as he pushed through the crowd. He kept catching and losing glimpses of that red dress she'd chosen to wear…._

 _He had just shoved past the Lovegood girl when he saw it, she was only yards away from him when it happened. Hermione had Harry, Ron, and that damned purse he'd seen her trying so hard to charm the other day by the shed, and she apparated away._

 _Next he knew, a scream was leaving his throat, vibrating on his vocal cords and sending out a noise that sounded nothing like him. To his right, he could see a death eater pointing his wand at where they'd apparated, and grabbing his friends sleeve. He latched on to them without thought of where he may be taken._

 _Fred landed, arse first, in the middle of a muggle road. He dashed out of the street, causing several cars to honk at him as he did. Then the chase began. Both the hooded figures ran in front of him, but even farther than them, was a flicker of Gryffindor crimson._

 _Cracks began sounding behind him, and hexes flew past his head as he ran. The roads were confusing but, just the slightest bit familiar. He spotted the office Hermione's parents once worked in, and the distraction was enough to send his falling down._

 _Soon one of the other death eaters was upon him, as his friends ran by. He twirled his wand, like he was considering what to do to the Weasley twin._

" _Perhaps I'll make you match your brother once more" But no sooner had the words left him, then he had been knocked off his own feet._

 _George helped him to stand, giving his twin a worried look, but Fred only shook it off._

 _The death eater his twin had taken down was standing back up, looking like he was going to run and try to catch back up with the others. He wouldn't let that happen._

 _With a straight arm and a dead voice Fred spoke_ " _Avada Kedavra"_

 _His brother yelled as the words left him and his wand fired off._

" _We have to do it eventually" he said. The body had crumpled, and he didn't care, because he was sure whoever it was would have had no problem taking his brother's other ear, or doing something much worse to Hermione. "Lupin said so himself, the night we brought home harry, we fired off bat- bogies and jelly legs, while they shot unforgivables. We just won't win like that, when they can get back up, and we can't."_

Now his twin was looking at him every few seconds, and he'd never felt this disconnected from his brother. Because he didn't regret it. He didn't know what the other death eaters had gotten to do, if they had reached the golden trio, or if they had killed them, but he knew they would have had it just that much easier, had he let that last one go.

His mum had not yet come down, apparently she had stayed up most of the night, doing her best to heal the gash in his head he'd gotten from landing on that muggle asphalt. In the end there had been too many bits of gravel and broken glass to use magic properly. He hadn't even noticed hitting his head the night before.

Charlie was asking him exactly how much he had drank the night before, when his dad came into the kitchen. He didn't say anything, first pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Arthur looked nearly as banged up as the rest of them did. Charlie and he had done their best to protect the newlyweds. Thankfully the blood wards had kept off some of the death eaters, it wasn't a fourth of Voldemort's following that came last night. But they still needed to repair things. The boys would all have to go out today and start fixing the wards once more.

Bill and Fluer had even left the night before, only to begin setting their blood ties to their new home, 'shell cottage'. The moment they had their first child they would be able to strengthen them, and their first grandchild would better solidify it, and further so.

His father still wasn't saying anything "Has any of the order been able to find them" Fred burst.

"No" he said, turned to the counter to pour his usual dose of cream and sugar into his cup. "But that is either a very good thing, or a very bad one."

"How the hell would that be good?"

"If we can't find them, it means the death eaters likely can't as well."

"Or they've been locked in a cell somewhere, waiting for Voldemort to finish them off" he snapped.

Fred's father did not react. The older man only murmered "Or that"

* * *

 **AN: Last Chapter!**

 **I will once more say that though THIS story is over next week on Saturday I will be posting the first chapter of the continuation story of BP called 'Lost and Found'. I hope you all continue reading and enjoy.**

 **Review**

 **Love, Mel**


	17. Note

Chapter 15 was the last of Birthday Present.

But if you want more go read it's continuation and my new story: Lost and Found.

LF will be updated every Saturday and if I get up to it there might be occasions where I give an extra update that week so follow to get alerts.

Also please review, if you read the entire thing and do nothing else please review. I absolutely love getting comments, especially if they are constructive criticism (that does not mean grammar and spelling nazis).

also I am in desperate need of a beta, but I don't want anyone who thinks they will get tired of the story, has bad time management skills, will not be brutally honest with me, or is reading the story just to beta.

So if you are reading already and see some of my errors as you do, and wouldn't mind helping me fix some of these, please message me! But also know before offering that my writing comes sporratically. There may be the rare case or two where I finish a chapter late Thursday night and you have to edit by Saturday. But that will not be frequent as I usually try to stay a chapter or two ahead of what I post

thank you all

Mel


End file.
